Flora of North America species comparison

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Beta vulgaris

Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima

beet, chard, common beet, garden beet, sea beet, sugar beet
Photo is of parent taxon

sea beet
Habit Plants annual to perennial; roots brown, fibrous, sometimes swollen and woody, not fleshy.
Roots

fibrous or fleshy.

Stems

procumbent to erect, simple, to 80 cm.
Leaves

petiole 1/2–2/3 or equaling blade length;

blade dark red to green, usually with pronounced midrib, somewhat fleshy.

petiole equaling blade;

blade oblanceolate, 1–10 × 0.5–8 cm.
Inflorescences

cymes, 1–8-flowered, interrupted towards base.

Perianth

urn-shaped;

segments 3–5 × 2–3 mm;

receptacle pelviform.

Achenes

5–11 per cluster, 3–5 mm.

Seeds

1.5–2 mm.

Cymes

1–3-flowered.
2n

= 18.

Beta vulgaris

Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima
Phenology Flowering spring–early fall.
Habitat Moist, sandy places near the coast and in waste areas
Elevation 0-200 m (0-700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CA; CT; MA; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA; VT; WV; s Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NJ; s Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies ca. 3 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Basal leaves usually longer than 10 cm; stems erect; cymes 2-8-flowered; roots swollen, fleshy
subsp. vulgaris
1. Basal leaves shorter than 10 cm; stems procumbent to erect; cymes 1-3-flowered; roots fibrous to ± swollen, not fleshy
subsp. maritima
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 266. FNA vol. 4.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Beta Chenopodiaceae > Beta > Beta vulgaris
Sibling taxa
B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Subordinate taxa
B. vulgaris subsp. maritima, B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Synonyms B. maritima
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 222. (1753) (Linnaeus) Arcangeli: Comp. Fl. Ital., 593. (1882)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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