Spinach in the context of "Chenopodioideae"


Spinach in the context of "Chenopodioideae"

Spinach Study page number 1 of 1

Answer the Spinach Trivia Question!

or

Skip to study material about Spinach in the context of "Chenopodioideae"


⭐ Core Definition: Spinach

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed either fresh, cooked or after storage (using preservation techniques like canning, freezing, or dehydration). The taste differs considerably between cooked and raw: the high oxalate content may be reduced by steaming.

It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), growing as tall as 30 cm (1 ft). Spinach may overwinter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular, and very variable in size: 2–30 cm (1–12 in) long and 1–15 cm (12–6 in) broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, 3–4 mm (18532 in) in diameter, and mature into a small, hard, dry, lumpy fruit cluster 5–10 mm (1438 in) across containing several seeds.

↓ Menu
HINT:

👉 Spinach in the context of Chenopodioideae

The Chenopodioideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae in the APG III system, which is largely based on molecular phylogeny, but were included – together with other subfamilies – in the family Chenopodiaceae, or goosefoot family, in the Cronquist system.

Food species comprise spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Good King Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus), several Chenopodium species (quinoa, kañiwa, fat hen), orache (Atriplex spp.), and epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides). The name is Greek for goosefoot, the common name of a genus of plants having small greenish flowers.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier