n.
Cultivated form of the plant Beta vulgaris of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), one of the most important vegetable s.
Four distinct types are cultivated: the garden beet, as a garden vegetable; the sugar beet , a major source of sugar and commercially the most important type; the mangel-wurzel, a succulent feed for livestock; and the leaf beet, or Swiss chard , for its edible leaves. Beet greens are a source of riboflavin, iron, and vitamins A and C. Beets are grown most extensively in temperate to cool regions or during the cooler seasons.