Sea beet (Beta vulgaris maritima) can be found round the
coasts of most of Great Britain.
It is a sprawling plant with stems that lie flat on the
ground and others that grow upright. It can reach a height of as much as 50
inches (127 centimetres), but may only reach 12 inches (30 centimetres).
The leaves are leathery and glossy, and often red-tinged.
The flowers have five greenish segments containing yellow styles and stamens.
These appear from July to September.
The wild plants are descendants of ones that were originally
cultivated as a food crop in the Middle East some 2,000 years ago. Sea beet
belongs to a family that includes commercially important crops such as
beetroot, sugar beet and spinach. It is known as sea spinach in some parts of
Britain, where its leaves were formerly eaten after being boiled.
© John Welford
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