beet

Cultivated form of the plant of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), one of the most important vegetables. Four distinct types are cultivated: the garden beet, as a garden vegetable; the sugar beet, a major source of sugar and commercially the most important type; the mangel-wurzel, a succulent feed for livestock; and the leaf beet, or Swiss chard, for its edible leaves. Beet greens are a source of riboflavin, iron, and vitamins A and C. Beets are grown most extensively in temperate to cool regions or during the cooler seasons.

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