Plants that start with P

The plantain is a kind of fruit that looks like a banana, but it can be longer and firmer.

Plantains are common in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. They can be fried, boiled, or baked.

A pod is a long, thin seed casing found on plants like peas and beans. Pods are made from two halves joined together, and when the seeds inside are ripe they split open.
The pods of many kinds of peas and bean can be eaten along with the seeds inside if they are picked early enough.

Poison ivy is a vine that grows throughout North America. It is not a true ivy. Poison ivy contains urushiol, a type of oil that causes an itchy rash in most people.

The pomegranate is originally native to Asia but has been grown around the Mediterranean area for centuries. It is the fruit of a deciduous shrub. The name means "seeded apple". Pomegranates have a hard outside layer that you cannot eat. The part of the pomegranate you eat is the juicy seeds. You can eat them raw, make them into juice, or use them in desserts or other dishes.

Potatoes are tubers - they grow underground but are not the central root of the plant like a carrot or turnip. One potato plant can make many potatoes. Potatoes originally came from Peru but are now grown world wide, and are the fourth biggest crop after rice, wheat, and maize.
Potatoes are best known in the form of french fries (chips) or crisps. Potato can be eaten in a huge variety of ways. It can be an ingredient in soups and stews, mashed and eaten with butter, baked, fried, boiled and in a huge variety of other dishes.

Pumpkins are a large vegetable that grows on a vine that normally covers the ground. Pumpkins can grow very, very big, weighing over 100 kilograms. They usually are bright orange inside. They can be made into soup, pies, roasted or simply have a face cut into it and used as a lantern at Halloween.