Beetroot, chard, spinach beet, sugar beet and mangel
Family Chenopodiaceae
Beta vulgaris, beetroot (Be. vulgaris 1), is a species with many cultivated forms, usually biennial glabrous herbs with conspicuous swollen roots at the junction with the stem. Leaves usually in a rosette, simple and cordate. Inflorescences arranged in a dense spike-like body, the small flowers (Be. vulgaris 12) with a perianth of 5 segments, 5 stamens and an ovary with 3 stigmas. Fruits forming an irregular dry body.
Most likely beetroot is derived from the wild form that grows on seashores in Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Three main varieties are distinguished:
1. Beta vulgaris var. conditiva (= Beta vulgaris var. rubra), beetroot (Be. vulgaris 2), (Be. vulgaris 3), with roots that are usually deep red in colour as a result of anthocyanin. The shape can be globular or cylindrical. In this variety the production of wood is absent, as a result of which the root remains soft. Beetroot is eaten after boiling, either as a vegetable or in salads. They are also pickled and canned. Beetroot is an important ingredient of ‘borsch’ , the famous Russian soup.
2. Beta vulgaris var. cicla, spinach beet or chard (Be. vulgaris 4), (Be. vulgaris 5), is a variety grown for the leaves which are eaten as spinach. The leaves develop at the expense of the roots and usually have thickened midribs. There are various varieties in colour (Be. vulgaris 11). Mangels were developed from chard and have been an important cattle food since the 16th century.
3. Beta vulgaris var. altissima, sugar beet (Be. vulgaris 6), is a white-rooted biennial with a sideways flattened root (Be. vulgaris 7), containing up to 20% saccharose or beetsugar. The sugar beet is derived from the mangel.
Cultivation of sugar beet became important early in the 19th century in Western Europe as a result of boycotting cane sugar by Napoleon. Today large quantities of sugar beet are grown in West (Be. vulgaris 10) and East Europe, Russia and the US. Harvesting and processing (Be. vulgaris 8), (Be. vulgaris 9) is mainly mechanised. The average yield is over 3000 kg per hectare. Sugar is extracted by shredding the roots and heating them in running water. After removal of impurities the liquid is concentrated and finally crystallised. A by-product is molasses, which is used as a stock food and for the production of industrial alcohol.