Scientific Name:
Beta vulgaris
(Cicla Group)
Pronunciation:
BET-ah vul-GAIR-iss
Common Name:
Swiss chard, spinach beet
Family Name:
Amaranthaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Biennial
Key ID Features:
Tasty vegetable up to 20-60cm tall in first year with no rounded storage root; leaves basal and then alternate on the flowering stalk the second year (biennial), most blades ovate to oblong, 10-45cm long x 5-20cm wide, ruffled and puckered cvs., thick midribs and petioles which can be red-pink-orange-yellow-green-white as are the stems.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Very coarse
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe (Mediterranean)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Alkaline, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Summer interest, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Yellow, Red, vein frequently red
Shapes:
Elliptic, Oblong, Ovate
Apices:
Acute, Rounded
Bases:
Rounded, Truncate
Margins:
Crenate
Additional Info:
edible
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered, Spike-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Multiple fruit
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jun
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant
Bark or Stem Colour:
White, Yellow, Orange, Red
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids, Leaf miner insect (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
