Title :

Spinach

Category: Garden Vegetable Plants

Facts about About Spinach. "Scientific name for Spinach is Spinacia oleracea". The following article aims at providing basic information about Spinach. Spinach is an annual plant that is native to central and western Asia. Under scientific classification, Spinach belongs to a kingdom, order, family, genus and species. The kingdom is Plantae, while the order is Caryophyllales. The family for the Spinach plant is Amaranthaceae. The genus is Spinacia, while the species is S. oleracea.

The Spinach plant is known to grow to (30 cm) tall and is, for the most part, harvested for agricultural production. As an agricultural product, Spinach is considered to be an important plant. Due to this fact, the measurement of the leaves also have some importance. The shape of the leaf alternates from simple to ovate to triangular. The leaves are bigger at the base of the plant and are smaller at the top of the plant. An average size is (2 to 30 cm) long and (1 to 15 cm) wide.

Agricultural production is measured in metric tons. In the year 2011, China was the largest producer of Spinach with 18,782,961. The United States of America was second with 409,360. The following list to the tenth largest producer is in order. Japan starts the list as the third largest producer; Turkey, Indonesia, France, Iran, South Korea, Pakistan and Belgium. Belgium ends the list as the tenth largest producer with 99,750. The previous countries and numbers were also for the year 2011.

In the culinary world, Spinach is a popular ingredient. Its nutritional value is probably one of the main reasons for its popularity. As use as and ingredient, Spinach is divided into three basic types. The first type of Spinach is called Savoy. The name is due to its dark green, crinkly and curly leaves. It is also believed to be the most common in supermarkets. The second type of Spinach is flat-or-smooth leaf. The name explains the reason. This type is believed to be the most common for canned spinach. The third type is Semi-Savoy. It is considered to be the same as Savoy but it is very difficult to clean. The latter, then, gives it its name, Semi-Savoy.

Studies have shown that 100 grams (3.5 oz) of Spinach can contain surprisingly nutritious results. In these 100 grams there were 23 calories, 3.6 grams of carbohydrates and 2.9 grams of protein. Minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc were found. Traces of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin K were also concluded to be found in 100 grams of Spinach.

To end this article, Spinach is quickly becoming an important plant to society. Its value to the culinary world is probably the most notable trait. Countries such as China and The United States of America have also deemed it important. Important enough, that both countries are on the top of the agricultural producers list.