Leaf
Michel Gaubert, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea L.
Family: Amaranthaceae
20 to 30 cm in rosette, up to 80 cm in flower
Grown in vegetable gardens, cool, rich soils
Flowering: May – July if bolting
Full sun
Part shade
Fairly hardy, some varieties withstand winter frost well
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Spinach is generally dioecious: unlike most leafy vegetables, it bears male and female flowers on separate plants — a rare case among vegetable crops.
🍃 Leaves
Broad, tender, dark green, smooth or blistered (savoyed) depending on variety, in a rosette
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, greenish, inconspicuous; plant generally dioecious (separate male and female plants)
🍎 Fruits
Small angular achene, sometimes bearing small horns
🪵 Bark
Short herbaceous stem in a rosette, elongating strongly when bolting
🗺️ Distribution
Grown throughout France; one of the most widely eaten leafy vegetables
🐝 Value for pollinators
Inconspicuous flowers, mainly wind-pollinated
✂️ Horticultural uses
Fast-growing leafy vegetable for the vegetable garden, can be grown in any season depending on variety
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity; leaves rich in oxalates, to be eaten in moderation in case of kidney stones
🌿 Other Amaranthaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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