Latin name: Beta vulgaris maritima
Common name: Sea beet
Other names: Wild spinach
How to spot it and where to find it: As you might expect, given its common name, sea beet is usually found along the coast. A hardy plant, it can thrive on mudflats, saltmarshes, field edges, shingle, between rocks and among sand dunes. It has thick, glossy, succulent leaves, which can vary between oval or diamond-shaped, smooth, wrinkled or twisted. The flowers, which appear between July and September and grow along the stem, are tiny with pale green petals.
Interesting facts: Sea beet is the ancestor to beetroot, sugar beet and Swiss chard, and is a member of the Amaranthaceae family. Its leaves taste very much like spinach but are said to be superior, especially the young…
