Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Beta vulgaris
acelga, remolacha azucarera, common beet, beet, garden beet
Leaves: Basal leaves forming a rosette. Flowers: Small, green, borne in clusters subtended by bracts, forming dense, usually branched inflorescences. Each flower contains two stigmas (female parts). Fruits and seeds: 'Seeds' are actually fruits that are attached to each other and enveloped in a woody covering (calyces) (POWO, 2022)
Beetroot was used medicinally in Ancient Rome and is used in the herbal treatment of cancer today. It contains high concentrations of red betalains (anti-oxidants), vitamin C, tyrosine, iron and folic acid (POWO, 2022)
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)
Order
Caryophyllales
Family
Amaranthaceae
Genus
Beta
Species
vulgaris
Taxon category: Accepted
8-jul-2021 family changed from Chenopodiaceae to Amaranthaceae
Origin: Introduced - established
Mode of introduction: Intentional
Introduction Pathway: Intentional
Subpathway: Agriculture/Horticulture
Introduced status: Human dependent
Invasive status: Unlikely to become invasive
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Distribution in Bélgica, Francia, Reino Unido. Introduced in ecuador (POWO, 2022)
- Lawesson, J.E. Ortiz, L. (1987) Plantas Introducidas en las Islas Galápagos Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg.224-235
- Lawesson, J.E. (1987) Plantas exóticas en las Islas Galápagos, un resumen. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 17-23.
- Lawesson, J.E. Adsersen, H. & Bentley, P. (1987) An updated and annotated check list of the vascular plants of the Galapagos islands. Rept. Bot. Inst., Univ. Aarhus 16: 1-74.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
- WFO (2021) World Flora Online. Published on the Internet. http://www.worldfloraonline.org/ WFO (2021): World Flora Online. Published on the Internet; http://www.worldfloraonline.org.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Beta vulgaris", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=15470. Accessed 1 November 2026.