This I suppose is our so called spinach of warm climates, actually beet
leaf, Beta vulgaris var. bengalensis, now correctly known as Beta vulagaris
var. maritima. This is the Palak grown and sold in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana
etc.
Spinacea oleracea, the real spinach (palak) of colder climates is a much
different plant, much shorter, with hastate leaves and unisexual flowers.
http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Spinacia+oleracea
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spinacia_oleracea_(Breedblad_scherpzaad)_in_Italy.jpg
http://www.lookfordiagnosis.com/images.php?term=Spinacia%20Oleracea&photo_id=3770019370&lang=1
http://www.lookfordiagnosis.com/images.php?term=Spinacia%20Oleracea&photo_id=3770020178&lang=1
http://www.lookfordiagnosis.com/images.php?term=Spinacia%20Oleracea&photo_id=3770019788&lang=1
No wonder you will find numerous photographs of Beta vulgaris var.
maritima labelled as Spinacea oleracea. Before I came to Delhi, many
students were being given specimens of Beta vulgaris as Spinacea oleracea
for taxonomy and physiology experiments.
--
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/
On Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 5:55 AM, Balkar Arya <balkara...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Spinacea oleracea I THINK
>
>
>
> --
> Regards
>
> Dr Balkar Singh
> Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology
> Arya P G College, Panipat
> Haryana-132103
> 09416262964
>
