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As pet iguanas are found increasingly all around the world, talking about the vegetables and fruits that make up the iguana salad becomes increasingly confusing.

My MK Salad - An Illustrated Reference page has photos of the ingredients in the Basic Salad recipe in my Iguana Care, Feeding and Socialization article. The Reference has some alternate common names that I have picked up through reading posts on the IguanaMail list through the years. Vegetable Names will be broader in scope, a place to compile the common names of vegetables of all types that can be used - or should be avoided or kept to a minimum - by green iguana keepers no matter where they live.

To submit names to me, please email me and include the language as well as the word(s) you are submitting - and let me know where to put them! You may also be able to help with my Product Names listing.

Leafy Greens

alfalfa

(US, NE). Erba Medica (IT); Jatt; Kaba Yonca; Lucerne; Mielga; Mu Su; Sai Pi Li Ka; Yonja; Medicago sativa

arugula

(US). rocket (US), roquette (FR), rucula (IT). Eruca sativa

borecale

See collard greens

chard

Swiss chard; rainbow chard, red chard (US). Spinach beet; Mangel Wurzel. Beta vulgaris spp.

chicory

(US). Endive chicory; endive; cultivated endive; hindiba; radiccio (Cichorium endivia). Chicory; Common Chicory; Wild Chicory (Cichorium intybus). [Also Orange Agoseris, Orange-flower Goat-chicory (Agoseris aurantiaca) leaves are eaten cooked. Mountain Dandelion, Pale Agoseris, Pale Goat-chicory (Agoseris glauca) is used for its latex-like gum, not as a leafy salad or cooked food green.]

chou precoce

See collard greens

collard greens

(US). borecale (UK), spring greens, pamphrey (UK); chou precoce (FR), col verde nueva, (SP), lente blad groente (NE), junge kohlblatter (DE) Cavolo Nero (IT); Brassica oleracea var.acephala

curled mustard

Mustard cabbage (Brassica juncea crispifolia)

dandelion

Dente di Leone (IT), paardebloembladen (NE). Taraxacum officinale

endive

See escarole. Cichorium endivia

escarole

(US). endive, chicory (US). Scarola (IT), andijvie (NE). Cichorium endivia

kale

(US). Brassica oleracea. var: Scotch Kale

mustard cabbage

Brown Mustard, Chinese Green, Chinese Mustard, Gai Cai, Gai Choy, India Mustard, Indian Greens, Indian Mustard, Jie Cai, Kaai Tsoi, Karashina, Karasi-Na, Leaf Mustard, Mustard Greens, Sawi-sawi, Sesawi, Takana, Brassica integrifolia (Other synonyms: B. besseriana, B. japonica, B. juncea, B. juncea var. crispifolia, B. juncea var. integrifolia, B. juncea var. japonica, B. oleracea x nigra, B. willdenowii, Sinapis juncea.)

Pak choy ;Brassica rapa chinensis

Curled Mustard; Brassica juncea crispifolia

mustard greens

(US). Brassica juncea

mustard spinach

see rapini

pak choy

Bai Cai, Bok Choy, Chinese Celery Cabbage, Chinese White Cabbage, Chingensai, Loose-headed Chinese Cabb, Mustard Cabbage, Pai Ts'Ai, Pak Choi, Quing Cai, Shakushina, Xiao Bai Cai; Brassica rapa chinensis

radiccio (radicchio)

See chicory.

rape

see rapini

rapini

Turnip; Seven-top turnip, Seventop Turnip, Birdrape, Canola, Mustard Spinach, Rape, Rape Mustard. (US). Abura-Na, Man Ching, Shalgham, Shelem, Turnip, Wu Ching, Yu T'Sai, Yun T'Ai. Brassica rapa var rapa

rocket

See arugula

spring greens

See collard greens

turnip greens

see rapini

Vegetables

casava

Also cassava, manioc, mandioca, yucca, yuca, yucca root, yuca root, Brazilian arrowroot. See also yucca page.

courgette

See zucchini

malanga

(Cuba). [similar to cassava] tanier, tannier, tannia, yautia

mandioca

(Brazil). See malanga

marrow

See zucchini

summer squash

(US) Any soft squash with a very limited shelf-life, such as zucchini. Zucchini (IT) Curcubita spp.

winter squash

(US) Any hard squash that stays fresh for months when kept at cool temperatures, such as acorn, butternut, pumpkin (=pompoen (NE)), kabocha, banana squash, turban, delicata. Zucca (IT). Curcubita maxima.

yuca (yucca)

See also yucca page

zucchini

(US). courgette (FR, UK, NE), marrow (UK); Curcubita pepo

Fruit

apple

(US). appel (NE). Malus sylvestris domestica; Malus spp.

banana

(US). banaan (NE). Musa spp.

cantaloupe

(US). (Honing)meloen (NE), Acur, Armenian Cucumber, Bataiaikh, Blewek, Bluwak, Cantaloupe, Common Melon, Gendura, Hsiang Kua, Kalak, Kan Kua, Kua Tzu Jen, Melon, Melons, Qawoon, Shao Kua, T'Ien Kua Ti, Yueh Kua, Cucumis melo

fig

(US). Vijg (NE), Figue France, Figuier, Figuier Blanc, Hanjir, Higo, Higo Verde, Higuera, Ichijiku, Incir Agaci, Injir, Itiziku, Lovea Si Phle, Tin; Ficus carica, Ficus macrophylla, Ficus palmata

grape

(US). Druif (NE). Vitis sp. I'Nab, P'U T'Ao, P'U T'Ao Chiu, Raisin, Roseinekaerne, Tray, Vid, Vigne, Vine, Vite: Vitis vinifera

mango

(US, NE). Mangifera indica

papaya

(US, NE). Carica papaya

pear

(US). Poire (FR), Peer (NE). Pyrus communis sp.

prickly pear

(US). Indian fig; Figuier D'Inde, Hsien Jen Chang, Indian-fig, Nopal, Penca, Barbary Fig, Figue de Barbarie (FR), Pricklypear, Raquette, Tuna, Tuna Cactus: Opuntia compressa. Cactus vrucht (NE), Figuier D'Inde, Hsien Jen Chang, Indian-fig, Nopal, Penca, Prickly Pear, Barbary Fig, Pricklypear, Raquette, Tuna, Tuna Cactus: Opuntia ficus-indica

raspberry

(US). framboos (NE), framboise (FR) Rubus spp.

star fruit (starfruit)

(US). carambola. Averrhoa carambola L.

strawberry

(US). Aardbei (NE), Fraise (FR). Fragaria spp.

watermelon

(US). Pastèque (FR), Watermeloen (NE), Han Kua, Hsi Kua, Melon D'Eau, Patilla, Qarbuz, Raggi, Semongka, Shuti, Water Melon, Watermelon, Yang Ch'I Kua; Citrullus lanatus

Related Articles:

MK Salad - An Illustrated Reference

USDA Nutritional Database - look up nutrition data on plant foods

Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database - lists chemical activities in plants ARS has reseached

Plants for a Future Database - Additional information on synonyms, edible, medicinal, botanical and ethnobotanical uses

University of Oregon's Index of Fruits and Vegetables - complete with illustrations of different types, including every squash and green you can imagine

There are some websites that will translate web documents for you. You may still need to ask some questions, and the translator is likely to stumble over medical and biology terminology (as well as colloquial words like "poop"), but they should give you a good head start. Some online webpage translators include:

AltaVista's Babelfish
FreeTranslation.com
Go Translator
Intertran
Systran Online Translation
Voycabulary
WordBot

There are also word translators, such as Foreignword.com (formerly DictSearch), InterTran, and TravLang.

Kaplan, Melissa. 2000. Vegetable and Fruit Names. Available online: http://www.sonic.net/melissk/vegetablenames.html

Created: March 13, 2000
Last Updated: 03/14/01
Minor typographical/link errors corrected: