Peterson Hall, age 8, of Rutland, VT, for his question:

CAN RHUBARB BE GROWN FROM SEEDS?

Rhubarb plants produce many seeds, but plants that are grown from the seeds are not always like the parent plant. For this reason, seeds are not usually used to produce new rhubarb plants.

Growers plant pieces of the big storage root that have several buds from which new plants grow. Each plant lasts five to eight years.

Rhubarb, which is also called pieplant, is one of the few perennial vegetables. It originally came from Mongolia but is grown both in America and Europe now.

Although rhubarb is technically a vegetable, people usually prepare it as a dessert food, often as pie fillings and sauces. Stores sell frozen and canned rhubarb, but many people prefer to eat the fresh stalks.

Rhubarb contains some vitamin C and has laxative qualities. The plants are relatively free from insect attck and they suffer few diseases.