Photo of Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. conditiva (beets vegetable - betterave)

Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. conditiva - beets vegetable - betterave - Beta vulgaris is an herbaceous biennial or, rarely, perennial plant up to 120 cm (rarely 200 cm) height; cultivated forms are mostly biennial. The roots of cultivated forms are dark red, white, or yellow and moderately to strongly swollen and fleshy; or brown, fibrous, sometimes swollen and woody in the wild subspecies. The stems grow erect or, in the wild forms, often procumbent; they are simple or branched in the upper part, and their surface is ribbed and striate. The basal leaves have a long petiole. The simple leaf blade is dark green to dark red. The flowers are produced in dense spike-like, basally interrupted inflorescences. Very small flowers. The fruit (utricle) is enclosed by the leathery and incurved perianth, and is immersed in the swollen, hardened perianth base. The horizontal seed is lenticular, 2–3 mm, with a red-brown, shiny seed coat. The seed contains an annular embryo and copious perisperm. Family : Amaranthaceae

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Author : Monique Dumas-Quesnel
Photo # : 36375
Online since: December 18th 2020