The sea beet, ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''maritima'' ((L.) Arcangeli.), is a member of the family
Amaranthaceae, previously of the
Chenopodiaceae.
Carl Linnaeus first described ''
Beta vulgaris
''Beta vulgaris'' (beet) is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Betoideae of the family Amaranthaceae. Economically, it is the most important crop of the large order Caryophyllales. It has several cultivar groups: the sugar beet, of gre ...
'' in 1753; in the second edition of ''
Species Plantarum
' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...
'' in 1762, he divided the species into wild and cultivated varieties, giving the name ''Beta maritima'' to the wild taxon.
The sea beet is native to the coasts of
Europe, northern
Africa, and southern
Asia.
The sea beet is the wild ancestor of common
vegetables such as
beetroot
The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet ...
,
sugar beet
A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...
, and
Swiss chard. Its leaves have a pleasant texture and taste, being good served raw or cooked, and because of this, it is also known as wild spinach. It is a large
perennial plant which grows up to , and flowers in the summer. Its flowers are
hermaphroditic, and wind-pollinated. It requires moist, well-drained soils, and does not tolerate shade. However, it is able to tolerate relatively high levels of sodium in its environment.
Description
Sea beet is an erect and sprawling perennial plant up to high with dark green, leathery, untoothed, shiny leaves. The lower leaves are wavy and roughly triangular while the upper leaves are narrow and oval. The inflorescence is borne on a thick, fleshy grooved stem in a leafy spike. The individual flowers are green and tiny with the sepals thickening and hardening around the fruits.
Distribution and habitat
Sea beet is found in maritime locations in
Europe, northern
Africa, and southern
Asia.
[ In the British Isles it is found round the coasts of England, Wales, Ireland and southern Scotland.][ On the pebble banks of Chesil Beach in Dorset, it dominates the drift-line along with oraches '']Atriplex
''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''.
The genus is quite variable and w ...
'' spp., and is in dynamic equilibrium with a community dominated by shrubby sea-blite '' Suaeda vera''.
References
{{Authority control
Leaf vegetables
Beta (plant)
Plant subspecies