the leaves and succulent young shoots are picked for consumption.
Examples are; amaranthus, celosia, pumpkin, lettuce, cabbage, bitter leaf, water leaf and fluted pumpkin.
Leafy Vegetables
this comprises of young, immature unripe fruits or mature ripe fruits of plants grown as vegetables.
Examples are cucumber, tomato, okra, pumpkin, eggplant, garden egg, water melon, sweet pepper and chilli pepper.
Fruit Vegetables
this group is important for the seed produced.
Examples are Egusi melon and Ito melon.
Seed Vegetables
Important for their flavor and colour in foods
Examples include: Chilli pepper, onion, garlic and basil.
Spices
sweet potato, irish potato, carrot and radish.
Root vegetables
Cool Season Vegetables
- cabbage
- garlic
- onion
- radish
- spinach
- lettuce
- potato
- carrots
Warm Season Vegetables
- tomato
- pepper
- cucumber
- okra
- eggplant
- garden egg
- melon
- pumpkin
- sweet potato
Vegetables are classified according to family, genera and species. It is the most important and acceptable form of classification.
Botanical/Taxonomic Classification
They are adapted to the hot temperatures and heavy rainfalls of the tropics.
Indigenous vegetables
They originate in areas with cool season climate/temperate region. They are very popular especially in the urban areas.
Exotic-type Vegetables
Regularly cultivated vegetables
- Onion
- Amaranthus
- Celosia
- Egusi melon
- Okra
- Eggplant
- Tomato
- Pepper
Occasionally/Wild vegetables
- mushroom
- Basella Rubra (white)
- Basella alba (Red)
- Bologi,
- Ebolo
Vegetables with short growing period and harvested two or three times by topping or young leaf removal
- Amaranthus spp
- Celosia argentea
Vegetables which can be harvested over several weeks or months
- Corchorus spp
- Solanum spp
- Capsicum spp
- Tomato
- Okra
- Cucurbits
Vegetables with Climbing growth habit
- snake gourd
- fluted pumpkin
- ito melon
- basella spp.
Vegetables with Climbing growth habit
- snake gourd
- fluted pumpkin
- ito melon
- basella spp
Vegetables with Creeping stems
- such as melon
- cucumber
- water melon
