Photographs: Co. Kerry

Sea Beet Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima Laíon na trá Family: Chenopodiaceae Flowering time: July-September. Perennial. Native. Tiny green, sometimes reddish, petal-less flowers in narrow leafy spikes. The dark green leaves are shiny with the lower leaves triangular and the upper leaves narrow and untoothed. A sprawling, branched growth habit with fleshy stems that are sometimes red-tinged. To 100cm. Coastal on rocks, sand and shingle beaches, sea walls and waste ground. Very occasionally recorded inland.

Sea Beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima, Laíon na trá