Beet

Beet plant (Beta vulgaris)

Description

A common plant of the genus Beta (such as Beta vulgaris), with thick reddish roots. The roots produce sugar and a reddish brown extract that has been used for dyeing textiles.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Beta vulgaris (Common beet); betaniini (Fin.); betanina (Esp.); betterave (Fr.); barbabietola (It.); vermelho de beterraba (Port.); betanin (Sven., Nor.); bietenrood (Ned.); beetroot; beet red; beetrot red; blood turnip

Resources and Citations

• R.J. Adrosko, Natural Dyes in the United States, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1968

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 780

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Wikipedia at http://www.wikipedia.com