Vegetable
Vegetable, the edible product of a herbaceous plant—that is, a plant with a soft stem, as distinguished from the edible nuts and fruits produced by plants with woody stems such as shrubs and trees. Vegetables can be grouped according to the edible part of each plant: leaves (lettuce), stalks (celery), roots (carrot), tubers (potato), bulbs (onion), and flowers (broccoli). In addition, fruits such as the tomato and seeds such as the pea are commonly considered vegetables. Most vegetables are valuable sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and are low in fat and calories. With cereals and legumes, they are important to a healthy diet (see Human Nutrition ). See also Cereals ; Fruit ; Legume ; Nut .