Explore the 12 Vegetables That Start With V

woman prepare fresh raw vegan salad from microgreens and vegetables
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Written by Samantha Stanich

Updated: November 7, 2023

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Vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Did you know that there are over 20,000 species of edible plants worldwide and a total of 1,097 cultivated vegetable species? And this doesn’t include the thousands of varieties of every vegetable on top of that! So, not only are veggies crunchy and delicious, but they are also powerhouses of nutrition. Vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C and potassium. They also provide your diet with fiber and help you maintain a healthy gut by preventing constipation and other digestion problems. A high-fiber diet also reduces the risk of bowel cancer. To help you add more veggies to your diet, here is a list of vegetables that start with V.

Some examples of vegetables that start with V include verdolaga, vainita, velvet bean, vidalia onion, velvetleaf, vine spinach, variegated screw pine, and more. From the crisp and potent taste of the Validia onion to the exotic vegetable mustard used in Far East dishes, vegetables that start with V have a crunch for everyone. So, let’s dive in and uncover the treasure trove of the vegetable kingdom, starting with the letter “V!”

1. Variegated Screw Pine

The variegated screw pine is native to the tropic and subtropic regions of the world. Mainly found in Malaysia and Madagascar, it is usually referred to as pandanus palm. Though it has no relation to palm trees.

People use the vegetable in southeastern and southern Asian cuisines. The vegetable’s leaves are the edible part. They are usually consumed as a powder or paste. People can make essential oils with the leaves as well. They mix them with a water extract.

The variegated screw pine is rich in Vitamin A. This vitamin helps prevent cancers and helps your heart, lungs, and other organs function properly. It also aids in having normal vision, and can even help clear acne!

Variegated Screw Pine (Pandanus)

The tree grows in a giant swirly pattern, with old leaf scars encircling the stems. This is where the vegetable derives the term “screw” in its common name.

2. Vainita

The vainita, or green beans, goes by various names. Other names include French beans, snap beans, and string beans. The vegetables are the young cultivars of the common bean.

Vainita is rich in folate, magnesium, antioxidants, vitamin B, potassium, iron, and fiber. Also, it is diabetic-friendly and rich in vitamin K which helps make various proteins needed for blood clotting and the building of bones.

green french beans

Vainita is the third most common home-garden vegetable.

Vegetable Hummingbird

The vegetable hummingbird is a small leguminous plant. It is native to northern Australia and southeast Asia. The flowers and leaves of this vegetable are edible. People eat the vegetable in Southeast and Southern Asia and cook it in cuisines such as curries. They can help with normal fetal growth, clear skin, and the immune system.

The vegetable hummingbird is a drought-tolerant and vigorously growing plant. This makes it a go-to companion for regenerative practitioners. It provides benefits other than being a food source such as green manure, green cover, cattle fodder, medicine, and a great wildlife and insect attractor!

Turi flower

The plant’s Latin name is Sesbania Grandiflora. It is the “hummingbird” of the bean family.

3. Velvet Bean

The velvet bean is a tropical legume native to Africa and Asia. It is an annual climbing shrub which means that it attaches itself to something, such as a wall, as it grows up that wall.

The vegetable has a protein called mucunain which causes the skin to itch when touched. The velvet bean can help manage diabetes and boost sperm count. People also use it for a plethora of diseases and ailments. These include the management of male infertility and nervous disorders.

Velvet Bean over the green leaf

Traditional medicine uses the seeds of the velvet bean. A syrup is made from the hairs on the pods. They even kill intestinal worms!

4. Velvetleaf

The velvetleaf, also called “butterprint” and “China jute,” is actually an annual weed. However, it is also a vegetable that starts with V! And it can grow anywhere from three to eight feet tall! The edible but invasive weed is native to South Asia. When eaten, it has a minty flavor and can help with premenstrual symptoms, digestive issues, and chronic inflammation. The seeds taste bitter so they are best ground into flour for bread or soup.

In the 1700s, farmers started growing the weed in North America. Farmers started growing it as a fiber crop, however, that endeavor failed. It became a widespread problematic weed that drains the soil of vital nutrients to support other plant life.

Velvetleaf plant with flowers and pods, Abutilon theophrasti

Tiny hairs cover the vegetable’s soft leaves. This gives them a velvety texture that is responsible for its common name.

5. Verdolaga

Verdolaga is a popular green vegetable in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Mexico, and Asia. Usually in English-speaking countries, it is often referred to as purslane. In the Northeastern United States, it is a common weed on farms. Farmers even harvest it for certain markets due to its high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. It has higher levels of this essential fatty acid than other vegetables. The acid provides the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clots, the contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation.

Cooks also use the vegetable extensively in Mexican dishes. People put the leaves in salad, stir-fry, or even cook them as spinach, and in soups and stews. Greek dishes also use the leaves and stems of the vegetable. They mix them with feta cheese, tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. The green veggie is even baked in pastries in Turkey! The leaves and stems taste refreshing, slightly salty, tangy, and acidic flavor with lemony, peppery, and sour nuances.

Purslane verdolaga vegetable on basket

The vegetable is also known as the Mexican parsley.

6. Vidalia Onion

The Vidalia onion is only grown in Vidalia, Georgia. It is the state’s official state vegetable! Due to the Vidalia Onion Act of 1986, only 20 counties in the United States can grow the onion and sell it under the trademarked name. All of the counties are in Georgia and centered around the small town. The sweet flavor of the vegetable wants to shine in dishes, so using them in dishes like dip, making onion rings, caramelizing them, or putting them raw on sandwiches is perfect!

This vegetable is sweet in flavor. Also, due to the soil it is grown in, the vegetable is low in sulfur. They grow from mid-April to Labor Day and can last for one to two months if stored in a cool, dry place. Or they can last up to six months if they are refrigerated. The onion is fat-free, saturated fat-free, cholesterol-free, sodium-free, and a good source of vitamin C and chromium.

Group of fresh organically grown vidalia sweet onion in the farmer market at Puyallup, Washington, USA. A close up full frame of onion. This is named as Georgia's official state vegetable in 1990

Compared to other yellow onions, Vidalias have a sweeter taste because of their high water and natural sugar content.

7. Vegetable Mustard

The annual herb is native to southern and eastern Asia. Its leaves, seeds, flowers, and stems of vegetable mustard are edible. They have a distinct peppery flavor. And though farmers grow it extensively for its leaves, as its name implies, the vegetable’s seeds are crushed in the production of mustard. The green veggie also has a variety of names including brown mustard, Indian mustard, and Chinese mustard.

It is a popular plant in the U.S. for home gardens. Gardeners use the leaves raw in salads. If they wait for the vegetables to mature, they use the leaves in stir-fry dishes or steam them. The vegetable produces colorful-leaved varieties used as cool-season border edgers or container accents. The leafy greens are rich in vitamins A, C, and K. As a result, eating them benefits eye and heart health. They also contain anticancer and immune-boosting properties.

Mustard Greens vegetable in wooden plate isolated on white background, Mustard Greens or Bog Choy on white With clipping path.

Some farmers see the vegetable as an invasive weed.

8. Vine Spinach

Also known as Malabar spinach, vine spinach is native to tropical areas in Asia such as India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. People grow the popular green leafy vegetable as an annual during the heat of summer. And though it looks and tastes like spinach, it is not related. It is a soft-stemmed, twining vine that grows up to 10 feet long!

Vine spinach is a good source of Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and antioxidants. The leaves are perfect for autéing or steaming since they keep their texture after cooking. They have a slightly peppery flavor with a hint of citrus. Its nutrients help various diseases such as heart issues, hypertension, and high blood sugar.

Malbar spinach vine. it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. It is also known as Malbar spinach and Poi saag or Pui Shak in India.

Ceylon spinach and Indian spinach are some of the vegetable’s alternate names.

9. Violet Cauliflower

Even though its color is extravagant, violet cauliflower is all-natural! The vegetable starts with V thanks to its bright color that comes from antioxidant anthocyanin pigments. Also, exposure to the sun further exaggerates the color which is why the head of the cauliflower is more purple than the inside. The anthocyanin that gives it its rich purple hue helps prevent heart disease and reduces inflammation.

The vegetable tastes gentle like white cauliflower, but is slightly sweeter. Also, the purple hue fades when cooked, but different than its counterpart, it stays softer and crisper. The colorful alternative can be steamed, roasted, stir-fried, or cooked in a variety of ways.

Purple Cauliflower close up with green leaves

The beautiful vegetable is said to be less bitter than other cauliflowers.

10. Vivaldi Potatoes

Farmers grow the pale yellow potatoes year-round! Lab studies show the variety of potato has fewer calories and carbohydrates than many other potato varieties. Due to these studies, the potato was called the “slimming potato” in the United Kingdom.

The carbohydrate’s velvety texture makes it great for mashing. It also makes a wonderful boiled potato since it holds its shape. Vivaldi potatoes have a mild sweet flavor and complement Mediterranean dishes.

Vivaldi baking potatoes isolated on a white studio background.

Farmers can harvest the versatile potato early in the growing season if baby potatoes are preferred.

11. Vegetable Marrow

Commonly grown in Europe and North America, vegetable marrow is a type of squash. It is from the Cucurbita pepo family. Common vegetables in this family include pumpkins, acorns, spaghetti, yellow crookneck, yellow summer, and zucchini squashes. Vegetable marrow plants resemble giant zucchini being green and elongated.

The vegetable’s creamy-white marrow flesh becomes buttery and soft after cooking. Its mild taste allows it to absorb other flavors and spices. Vegetable marrow can help reduce weight, improve vision, make bones stronger, strengthen the immunity system, and help improve blood circulation and energy levels. And like other green vegetables, it also helps prevent cancer, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces risks of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

zucchini or marrow isolated on white background with clipping path and full depth of field. Top view. Flat lay

You can steam, bake, boil, fry, or roast vegetable marrow.

12. Violet de Provence Artichoke

Also called the Purple of Provence, people grow this purple-tinted artichoke in the Aquitaine Provence of France. The French heirloom is another vegetable that starts with V due to its pretty purple buds that are largely ornamental.

However, when cooked, boiled, grilled, or roasted, they are succulent and delicious! The violet-hued vegetable is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Grown in the Aquitaine Provence of France, these artichokes were being sold at the Bergerac open air market in the spring.

This vegetable is rarely seen outside Europe.

Summary of Vegetables That Start With V

VegetableBenefitsTaste
Variegated Screw PineVitamin ASimilar to almonds
VainitaFolate, magnesium, antioxidants, vitamin B, potassium, iron, and fiberBright and Earthy
Velvet BeanManagement of male infertility and nervous disordersSweet and bitter
VelvetleafPremenstrual symptoms, digestive issues, and chronic inflammationLeaves: minty
Seeds: bitter
VerdolagaOmega-3 fatty acidsSlightly salty, tangy, and acidic flavor with lemony, peppery, and sour nuances
Vidalia OnionVitamin C and chromiumSweet
Vegetable MustardVitamins A, C, and KDistinct peppery flavor
Vine SpinachVitamin C, iron, calcium, and antioxidantsSlightly peppery flavor with a hint of citrus
Violet CauliflowerAnthocyaninMild and slightly sweet
Vivaldi PotatoesVitamin C, lower in calories and carbohydratesMild sweet
Vegetable MarrowVitamins A, C, and K, and B-group vitaminsVery mild, reminiscent of zucchini
Violet de Provence ArtichokeRich in fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrientsMore delicate than other artichokes, nutty and sweet


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