A leafy vegetable crop, Spinacia oleracea, believed domesticated in ancient Persia, from where it spread eastward, reaching China by the seventh century AD by way of Nepal, and westward into the Mediterranean and Europe through the Islamic world, arriving in Spain during the medieval period under Moorish rule before spreading across the rest of Europe. Spinach is grown as a fast-maturing, cool-season crop valued for its edible leaves, eaten raw or cooked, and for its relatively high iron and vitamin content compared with many other leafy vegetables. China dominates modern production, growing roughly nine-tenths of the world's supply.
Facts
Scientific Name Domestication RegionIran and the Indian subcontinent 1 Domesticated When (Circa) Sources
1. Spinach, Wikipedia
Introduction
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central and Western Asia.
History
Spinach is thought to have originated about 2,000 years ago in parts of Iran and Indian subcontinent from where it was introduced to ancient China via Nepal.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (crop-class)
A leafy vegetable crop, Spinacia oleracea, believed domesticated in ancient Persia, from where it spread eastward, reaching China by the seventh century AD by way of Nepal, and westward into the Mediterranean and Europe through the Islamic world, arriving in Spain during the medieval period under Moorish rule before spreading across the rest of Europe.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (life-cycle)
It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), growing as tall as 30 cm (1 ft).
lead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
Spinach is grown as a fast-maturing, cool-season crop valued for its edible leaves, eaten raw or cooked, and for its relatively high iron and vitamin content compared with many other leafy vegetables.
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