Beta vulgaris (beet) is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Betoideae of the family Amaranthaceae.

The roots of cultivated forms are dark red, white, or yellow and moderately to strongly swollen and fleshy (subsp.

The stems grow erect or, in the wild forms, often procumbent; they are simple or branched in the upper part,[3] and their surface is ribbed and striate.

[3] The hermaphrodite flowers are urn-shaped, green or tinged reddish, and consist of five basally connate perianth segments (tepals), 3–5 × 2–3 mm, 5 stamens, and a semi-inferior ovary with 2–3 stigmas.

The taxonomy of the various cultivated races has a long and complicated history, they were treated at the rank of either subspecies, or convarieties or varieties.

They grow best on pH-neutral to slightly alkaline soils containing plant nutrients and additionally sodium and boron.

[16] Breeding programs can produce cultivars with low geosmin levels yielding flavours more acceptable to consumers.

[17] Beets are one of the most boron-intensive of modern crops, a dependency possibly introduced as an evolutionary response its pre-industrial ancestor's constant exposure to sea spray; on commercial farms, a 60 tonne per hectare (26.8 ton/acre) harvest requires 600 grams of elemental boron per hectare (8.6 ounces/acre) for growth.

The composition of different betalain pigments can vary, resulting in strains of beetroot which are yellow or other colors in addition to the familiar deep red.

[19] Some of the betalains in beets are betanin, isobetanin, probetanin, and neobetanin (the red to violet ones are known collectively as betacyanin).

Indicaxanthin has been shown as a powerful protective antioxidant for thalassemia and prevents the breakdown of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E).

[26][clarification needed] Beet greens and Swiss chard are both considered high oxalate foods which are implicated in the formation of kidney stones.

[27] Betaine and betalain, two phytochemical compounds prevalent in Beta vulgaris, are under basic research for their potential biological properties.

[29] The Greek Peripatetic Theophrastus later describes the beet as similar to the radish, while Aristotle also mentions the plant.

[29][30] Available evidence, such as that provided by Aristotle and Theophrastus, suggests the leafy varieties of the beet were grown primarily for most of its history, though these lost much of their popularity following the introduction of spinach.

[29] Zohary and Hopf also argue that it is very probable that beetroot cultivars were also grown at the time, and some Roman recipes support this.

[32] His student, Franz Karl Achard, evaluated 23 varieties of mangelwurzel for sugar content and selected a local race from Halberstadt in modern-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Moritz Baron von Koppy and his son further selected from this race for white, conical tubers.

[13] A royal decree led to the first factory devoted to sugar extraction from beetroots being opened in Kunern, Silesia (now Konary, Poland) in 1801.

The Silesian sugar beet was soon introduced to France where Napoleon opened schools specifically for studying the plant.

[30] The sugar beet was introduced to North America after 1830 with the first commercial production starting in 1879 at a farm in Alvarado, California.