Appearance

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering low growing annual plant native to central and western Asia.

Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either fresh or after storage using preservation techniques by canning, freezing or dehydration.

It may be eaten cooked or raw, and the taste differs considerably; the high oxalate content may be reduced by steaming.

It may grow as tall as 30 cm (1 ft) with leaves that are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular, and very variable in size: from 1–12 in long and .4–6 broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem.

The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, 0.1–0.2 inches in diameter, and mature into a small, hard, dry, lumpy fruit cluster containing several seeds.

Varieties grown:

1. Savoy spinach:

Savoy spinach is more productive than the other two forms of spinach. It also handles the cold better than the other varieties. As for appearance, it has very crinkled leaves that grow pretty low, which means that you have to bend down a bit to clean the leaves.

Example:  Bloomsdale: Thick-leafed spinach, somewhat succulent and savoury, and produces ample yields during the early part of the summer

2. Semi-savoy spinach:

It is a variety that grows more upright than savoy spinach; its leaves are much less wrinkled and are disease and bolt resistant.

Example: Indian Summer: productive, three-season spinach for production in spring, summer and fall. Its leaves are flattened and relatively smooth

Smooth-leafed Spinach:

The leaf has a smooth surface that is the easiest to clean, frequently canned and frozen variety, but sold fresh as well.

Example – space spinach which is slow to bolt