Most wild plants, inhabiting coastal areas, are ssp maritima, while the cultivated variety, also found inland on waste and arable land, is ssp vulgaris.
Common name:
Beet
Family:
Scientific name:
Beta vulgaris
Main flower color:
Range:
Coastal regions of England, Wales, Ireland and southern Scotland
Height:
Up to 100 cm
Habitat:
Cliffs, pebble beaches, fields, saltmarsh, waste ground
Flowers:
Five thick, green tepals and five short stamens, topped by pale yellow anthers. Flowers form in a narrow, unbranched, elongated cluster, and are subtended by leafy bracts
Leaves:
Hairless, glossy, dark green, relatively thick, variously heart-shaped to ovate or lanceolate, along rigid, grooved stems, often red-striped. Stalked towards the base, sessile higher up the stem
Season:
June to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
