Spinacia oleracea

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 1027. 1753.

IntroducedIllustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Mentioned on page 259, 302.
Revision as of 08:32, 30 July 2020 by imported>Volume Importer
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Stems leafy, 1–5 (–10) dm. Leaves gradually becoming smaller distally; blade oblong, base cuneate. Bracteoles orbicular-obovate, usually wider than long, apex with divergent spine or smooth. 2n = 12.


Phenology: Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat: Waste areas
Elevation: 0-1500 m

Distribution

V4 580-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Calif., Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.C., Va., Wash., Eurasia, n Africa

Discussion

Reports of populations in Canada and inland areas of the United States appear to be from gardens where the plants do not persist without benefit of cultivation.

Spinach is an important and widely cultivated crop of unknown origin, though known from the Mediterranean region since ancient times. The plant is prized as a rich source of vitamins, calcium, iron, and antioxidant carotenoids, but, if ingested in excessive amounts, the high concentration of oxalates in the leaves can be toxic by inhibiting the absorption of calcium. The cultivated form named var. oleracea has spiny seeds and tends to be more cold hardy than var. inermis, the smooth-seeded variety that is more tolerant of warm weather.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"usually wider than long" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Spinacia oleracea"
Leila M. Shultz +
Linnaeus +
slippery +
aromatic +
cuneate +
persistent +  and deciduous +
accrescent +
reddish-brown +, black +, brown +  and green +
orbicular-obovate +
Calif. +, Conn. +, Maine +, Mass. +, N.H. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, Va. +, Wash. +, Eurasia +  and n Africa +
0-1500 m +
pistillate +, staminate +  and sessile +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
Waste areas +
smaller +
not winged +  and winged +
dentate +  and entire +
lobed +  and serrate-dentate +
inferior +, half-inferior +  and superior +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +
1 +  and single +
persistent +  and deciduous +
papery +  and chartaceous +
Flowering spring–fall. +
pointing +  and ascending +
basal +, median +  and position +
bulbous +  and taprooted +
fusiform +
fleshy +  and fibrous +
smooth +  and spiny +
verrucate +  and striate +
reddish-brown +, brown +  and black +
rounded +  and flattened +
Introduced +  and Illustrated +
cylindric +
4 +  and 5 +
opposite +  and alternate +
not fleshy +
4 +  and 5 +
sessile +  and petiolate +
reduced;small +
horizontal +  and vertical +
verrucate +
Spinacia oleracea +
Spinacia +
species +
biennial +  and annual +