Stats

Lifespan: Biennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

Beet is a remarkably versatile plant whose different cultivated varieties yield table beets, sugar beets, Swiss chard, and animal fodder — all from the same species. The swollen taproot can store up to 20% of its weight as sugar, making it one of the world's most important sources of refined sugar.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Beta
Species: Beta vulgaris