Beta vulgaris aka Swiss Chard

Beta vulgaris, also known as beet, is a flowering plant in the subfamily Betoideae of the family Amaranthaceae and is the most important crop of the Caryophyllales order. There are several cultivar groups, including the sugar beet for producing table sugar, the beetroot or garden beet for root vegetable purposes, and the leaf vegetable known as chard, spinach beet, or silverbeet. The mangelwurzel is also a cultivar group used for fodder crops. This plant has three subspecies, all falling into Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris. The cultivated beets are descendants of the sea beet, which is the wild ancestor. Beets are easy to grow, cool-season annual vegetables that are typically grown from seed in well-prepared soil. They are a popular choice for northern gardeners as they can survive frost and near-freezing temperatures. The beetroot is the taproot portion of the beet plant and is known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet, or golden beet in North America. It is one of several cultivated varieties of Beta vulgaris grown for its edible taproots and leaves, also called beet greens. Beets are also used as a food coloring and as a medicinal plant. Many beet products are made from other Beta vulgaris varieties, particularly the sugar beet. The leaf beet group includes cultivars such as Swiss chard and beet spinach, which are grown for their edible leafy greens. The biennials in this group do not produce flowers until their second year. The leaves are edible raw or cooked, but the thick stalks are best eaten after cooking.