Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima Sea Beet

Sea Beet is a sprawling, much branched perennial with shiny, dark green, leathery leaves which are triangular in the lower parts of the shoot and narrower in the upper parts. Tiny green flowers are produced in leafy spikes at the top of the stem in summer. Except for the far north of Scotland it is an ubiquitous coastal plant in Britain and it is a common plant of shorelines and other coastal habitats near the highwater line in West Glamorgan. It also occurs along roads that are gritted with salt. Both Beetroot and Sugar Beet are cultivated forms of Beta vulgaris and the genetic diversity of Sea Beet has been used in breeding programs to introduce disease resistance and vigour into them.

Native