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Beta vulgaris altissima

Common name:	Sugar Beet	Family:	Chenopodiaceae
Author:	Rossio.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	A cultivated form of B. vulgaris maritima that is grown for the sugar content of its root.
Habitat:	Not known in a truly wild situation.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	B. altissima[G] B. brasiliensis[G] B. vulgaris 'Saccherifera'[H] B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris[G] B. vulgaris var. altissima[G,H] B. vulgaris var. conditiva[G] B. vulgaris var. crassa[G] B. vulgaris var. saccharifera[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Sugar Beet [H], White Beet [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	altissima = tallest, highest; vulgaris = common;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Caryophyllales. Goosefoot family
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: .

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 1.5m by 0.2m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root; Sweetener.

Root - raw or cooked. The root contains 16 - 20% sugar and this is often extracted and used as a sweetener[142]. This plant is a major source of sugar in many temperate areas. The root can also be used as a vegetable. When cooked it is quite tender, but with some fibrous strands. It has a very sweet flavour that some people find too sweet[K]. The raw root is rather tough, but makes a pleasant addition to salads when grated finely[K].
Leaves - raw or cooked. A very acceptable spinach substitute[K]. Some people dislike the raw leaves since they can leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antitumor; Emmenagogue.

Although little used in modern herbalism, beet has a long history of folk use, especially in the treatment of tumours[269].
A decoction prepared from the seed has been used as a remedy for tumours of the intestines. The seed, boiled in water, is said to cure genital tumours[269].
The juice or other parts of the plant is said to help in the treatment of tumours, leukaemia and other forms of cancer such as cancer of the breast, oesophagus, glands, head, intestines, leg, lip, lung, prostate, rectum, spleen, stomach, and uterus[269]. Some figure that betacyanin and anthocyanin are important in the exchange of substances of cancer cells; others note two main components of the amines, choline and its oxidation product betaine, whose absence produces tumours in mice[269]. The juice has been applied to ulcers[269].
A decoction is used as a purgative by those who suffer from haemorrhoids in South Africa[269].
Leaves and roots used as an emmenagogue[269].
Plant effective in the treatment of feline ascariasis[269].
In the old days, beet juice was recommended as a remedy for anaemia and yellow jaundice, and, put into the nostrils to purge the head, clear ringing ears, and alleviate toothache[269]. Beet juice in vinegar was said to rid the scalp of dandruff as scurf, and was recommended to prevent falling hair[269]. Juice of the white beet was said to clear obstructions of the liver and spleen[269]. Culpepper (1653) recommended it for treating headache and vertigo as well as all affections of the brain[269].

Other Uses

Biomass.

Sugar beet has excellent potential as a biomass crop, both as a source of sugar and also using the plant residue for fuel[269].

Cultivation details

Beets grow well in a variety of soils, growing best in a deep, friable well-drained soil abundant with organic matter, but doing poorly on clay. They prefer an open position and a light well-drained soil[52]. The optimum pH is 6.0 - 6.8, but neutral and alkaline soils are tolerated in some areas. Some salinity may be tolerated after the seedling stage. Beets are notable for their tolerance to manganese toxicity. Beet is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 23 to 315cm, an average annual temperature range of 5.0 to 26.6°C and a pH of 4.2 to 8.2[269].
Sugar beet is widely cultivated as a commercial sugar crop in temperate climates. About one third of all sugar production in the world is derived from this plant[269]. It is not usually grown on a garden scale. There are several named varieties[46].

Propagation

Seed - sow April in situ.

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Beta vulgaris var. altissima (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Chenopodiaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[269] Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of plants.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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