The vegetable lamb

Illustrations by F. Curtis Lubbe at the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

One of the most interesting legendary plants is the vegetable lamb of Tartary.  Allegedly this lamb grows from a stalk and grazes the nearby area.  The idea is rather adorable but it was always lacking a mention of the belowground.  There may not be any vegetable lambs, but plants can move, multiply, and forage all from belowground.  Here are some illustrations inspired by this legend.

Rhizome, stem tuber, bulb, and taproot lambs.

Multiple generations of rhizome lamb increments.

Some stem tuber lambs.

A rhizome lamb with two small root tuber lambs.