Beta vulgaris

Beta vulgaris (beet) is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Betoideae of the family Amaranthaceae.

Economically, it is the most important crop of the large order Caryophyllales. It has several cultivar groups, but usually three subspecies are typically recognised. All of these cultivars, despite their quite different morphologies, fall into the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris. The wild ancestor of all the cultivated beets is the sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima).

Some of the most popular cultivar groups include: the sugar beet, of greatest importance to produce table sugar; the root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet; the leaf vegetable known as chard or spinach beet or silverbeet; and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop.