Sea beet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sea beet |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Beta |
| Species: | |
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B. v. subsp. maritima
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| Trinomial name | |
| Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima (L.) Arcang.
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The sea beet, also known as Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima, is a wild plant. It belongs to the Amaranthaceae plant family. This family includes many well-known plants like spinach and quinoa.
A famous scientist named Carl Linnaeus first described the Beta vulgaris plant in 1753. Later, in 1762, he gave the name Beta maritima to the wild version of this plant. Sea beet naturally grows along the coasts of Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia.
This plant is super important because it's the wild ancestor of many common vegetables we eat. These include beetroot, sugar beet, and Swiss chard. Its leaves taste good and have a nice texture, whether you eat them raw or cooked. Because of this, it's sometimes called wild spinach.
Sea beet is a large perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It can grow up to about 60 centimeters (2 feet) tall. It produces flowers in the summer. Its flowers have both male and female parts, and the wind helps them spread their pollen. Sea beet needs soil that is moist and drains well. It doesn't like shady spots but can handle a lot of salt in its environment.
What Does Sea Beet Look Like?
Sea beet is a plant that grows upright and can spread out. It can reach about 60 centimeters (2 feet) in height. Its leaves are dark green, tough, and shiny, with smooth edges. The leaves near the bottom of the plant are wavy and shaped like triangles. The leaves higher up are narrower and oval-shaped.
The plant's flowers grow on a thick, fleshy stem that has grooves. These flowers are tiny and green. As the fruits develop, the green parts around the flowers (called sepals) become thicker and harder.
Where Does Sea Beet Grow?
Sea beet is found in coastal areas across Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia. In places like the British Isles, you can find it all around the coasts of England, Wales, Ireland, and southern Scotland.
It likes to grow at the top of sandy and pebbly beaches. You can also spot it along the drift-line of saltmarshes, on sea-walls, and on coastal rocks and cliffs. Sometimes, it even pops up in empty lots near the sea or occasionally on rubbish tips and roadsides further inland. On the pebble beaches of Chesil Beach in Dorset, sea beet is a very common plant along the drift-line.
