| Sea beet | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific 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 a member of the family Amaranthaceae native to the coasts of Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia.
The sea beet is the wild ancestor of common vegetables such as beetroot, sugar beet, 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 60 cm (2 ft), 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.[2]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Beta Maritima: The Origin of Beets. Springer. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-0841-3.
The volume will be completely devoted to the sea beet, that is, the ancestor of all the cultivated beets. The wild plant, growing mainly on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, remains very important as source of useful traits for beet breeding.