Sea beet
| Sea beet | |
|---|---|
| File:Beta vulgaris maritima02.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Beta |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | B. v. subsp. maritima
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima | |
The sea beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima (L.) Arcangeli.,[1] is an Old World perennial plant with edible leaves, leading to the common name wild spinach.
Description
[edit | edit source]Sea beet is an erect and sprawling perennial plant up to 80 centimetres (31 in) high with dark green, leathery, untoothed, shiny[2] leaves. The lower leaves are wavy and roughly triangular while the upper leaves are narrow and oval. Blooming in summer, the inflorescence is borne on a thick, fleshy grooved stem in a leafy spike. The individual flowers are hermaphroditic, green and tiny with the sepals thickening and hardening around the fruits.[3] They are wind-pollinated.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The species was previously of the Chenopodiaceae. Carl Linnaeus first described Beta vulgaris in 1753; in the second edition of Species Plantarum in 1762, he divided the species into wild and cultivated varieties, giving the name Beta maritima to the wild taxon.[4]
The sea beet is the wild ancestor of common vegetables such as beetroot, sugar beet, and Swiss chard.
Distribution and habitat
[edit | edit source]Sea beet is found in maritime locations in Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia.[4] In the British Isles it is found round the coasts of England, Wales, Ireland and southern Scotland.[5] It grows at the top of sand and pebble beaches, at the drift-line on saltmarshes, on sea-walls, coastal rocks and cliffs. It also occurs on wasteland near the sea, and occasionally on rubbish tips and roadsides inland.[5] On the pebble banks of Chesil Beach in Dorset, it dominates the drift-line along with oraches Atriplex spp., and is in dynamic equilibrium with a community dominated by shrubby sea-blite Suaeda vera.[6]
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.[7]
Uses
[edit | edit source]Its leaves have a pleasant texture and taste, being good served raw or cooked (minus the tough stems), similar to spinach.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]
- ^ Lange, W., W. A. Brandenburg and T.S.M. De Bock. 1999. Taxonomy and cultonomy of beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 130:81-96.
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