Scientific name: Beta vulgaris L.
Common name: Sea Beet
Description
Habit: A hairless, often red coloured perennial.
Stems: Stout, erect or semi-erect, spreading; roots often swollen, to 1 m long.
Leaves: Alternate, stalked, more or less oval, nearly entire, shining and rather fleshy; lower leaves usually longer than 10 cm.
Flowers: Green, hermaphrodite, to 6 mm across, in long, loose, slender, terminal spikes or panicles; tepals 5, stamens 5; stigmas 2; ovary semi-inferior.
Fruits: A small capsule, enclosed by fleshy tepals.
Habitat: Rocky, muddy and gravelly seashores, sea-cliffs and edges of salt-marshes.
Distribution: Frequent around Galway Bay, rare elsewhere.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: No