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The ever-evolving Swiss chard
Farmer's Weekly
|Farmer's Weekly 10 March 2023
Swiss chard is a highly variable, nutrient-rich vegetable whose leaves can be eaten either fresh or after storage, says Bill Kerr.
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Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) is one of several related crops referred to as ‘spinach’. Although they are related and look vaguely similar, they are all different species. There is, in fact, only one true spinach, Spinacia oleracea, which in South Africa is called ‘baby spinach’.
S. oleracea and B. vulgaris are closely related and will readily cross with one another. The seed are identical in appearance.
You will sometimes come across ‘outcrosses’, as they are referred to; this is the odd plant in either crop with large, reddish leaves that has a superficial resemblance to Swiss chard.
The pollen of S. oleracea is wind-borne and can travel great distances on air currents, resulting in unplanned crosses.
Another spinach available in South Africa is New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioide), a heat-resistant ground cover. Komatsuna (Brassica rapa var.
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