Vegetables & garden · Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group
Discovering kohlrabi
Flauschi points to the round kohlrabi above the soil. Flauschi“Its leaves have long arms.”
The short answer
The kohlrabi bulb is a swollen stem above ground, with leaves growing from it. It is not a root. Its outside may be green or purple while its inside is usually pale.
See the connection
Simplified drawings, not to scale. Not a guide for identifying species.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Flauschi points to the round kohlrabi above the soil. Flauschi“Its leaves have long arms.”
Puschel holds his paws behind his back and looks more closely. The leaf stalks attach directly to the swollen stem.
Puschel“Then it waves without paws,” he says. A purple plant from the same vegetable group grows nearby. They leave both in the bed.
Discover
The round kohlrabi body is a swollen section of stem. It grows above the soil and is not a root.
Understand
Kohlrabi can be pale green or purple outside. Its flesh is usually pale; the outer colour does not tell you the colour of all the flesh.
Connections
Leaves attach to the swollen stem on long leaf stalks. Kohlrabi is often harvested young before it becomes woody.
Little Wusel quiz
Is the round kohlrabi body a root, stem or fruit?
Show answer
A swollen section of stem above the soil.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
How can you recognise a swollen stem?
Kohlrabi leaf stalks attach at different points directly to the round swollen part. This grows above the soil and is a stem section, with roots below. A carrot’s harvested part is instead a thick storage root. Everyday words for swollen vegetables do not always identify the same plant organ.
Compare and understand
Compare photographs of whole plants with roots and leaves. Peeled cubes in a bowl reveal little of the difference. Purple skin does not mean purple flesh throughout. Adults peel and cut a known kohlrabi; do not dig plants up outdoors for comparison.