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Concept
Spinach
Summary
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 edible vegetable consumed either fresh, or after storage using preservation techniques by canning, freezing, or dehydration. It may be eaten cooked or raw, and the taste differs considerably; the high oxalate content may be reduced by steaming.
It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), growing as tall as . Spinach may overwinter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular, and very variable in size: long and broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, in diameter, and mature into a small, hard, dry, lumpy fruit cluster across containing several seeds.
In 2021, world production of spinach was 32 million tonnes, with China alone accounting for 92% of the total.
Originally from Persian the word aspānāḵ entered European languages from Latin, which borrowed it from Arabic. The English word "spinach" dates to the late 14th century from OF espinache.
Common spinach (S. oleracea) was long considered to be in the family Chenopodiaceae, but in 2003 that family was merged into the Amaranthaceae in the order Caryophyllales. Within the family Amaranthaceae sensu lato, Spinach belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae.
As opposed to the great majority of the flowering plants or plants used as vegetables, spinach is a dioicous plant, meaning different plants can have either female or male flowers.
Pollination occurs via wind anemophily, because the flowers are small and green and thus they are unattractive to pollinators. Therefore, the pollen evolved to be very small and light so it can be transported to large distances, often miles away.
Spinacia oleracea male flowers, spinazie mannelijke bloemen.jpg|Spinach male flowers
Spinacia oleracea female flowers, spinazie vrouwelijke bloemen.
Official source
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