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Common Name: Spinach

General Information

Spinacia oleracea is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The leaves of most varieties of spinach are high in oxalic acid[]. Although not toxic, this substance does lock up certain minerals in a meal, especially calcium, making them unavailable to the body. Therefore mineral deficiencies can result from eating too much of any leaf that contains oxalic acid. However, the mineral content of spinach leaves is quite high so the disbenifits are to a large extent outweighed by the benefits. There are also special low-oxalic varieties of spinach that have been developed. Cooking the leaves will also reduce the content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[].

Botanical References

Range

The origin of this plant is uncertain, it probably arose in S.W. Asia.

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants grow best and produce their heaviest crop of leaves on a nitrogen-rich soil[, , ]. They dislike very heavy or very light soils[]. They also dislike acid soils, preferring a neutral to slightly alkaline soil[]. Plants require plenty of moisture in the growing season, dry summers causing the plants to quickly run to seed[]. Summer crops do best in light shade to encourage more leaf production before the plant goes to seed[], winter crops require a warm dry sunny position[, ].
Young plants are hardy to about -9°c[].
Spinach is often cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[, ]. These varieties can be grouped into two main types as detailed below:-
Forms with prickly seeds. These are the more primitive forms. Their leaves are more lobed and they are in general more cold tolerant and also more resistant of summer heat[]. They were more often used to produce a crop in the winter[, ].
Forms with round seeds have been developed in cultivation, These have broader leaves, tend to be less cold hardy and were also more prone to bolt in hot weather[]. They were used mainly for the summer crop[]. Most new cultivars are of the round seeded variety and these have been developed to be more resistant to bolting in hot weather, more cold tolerant, to produce more leaves and also to be lower in calcium oxalate which causes bitterness and also has negative nutritional effects upon the body[].
Some modern varieties have been developed that are low in oxalic acid. Edible leaves can be obtained all year round from successional sowings[]. The summer varieties tend to run to seed fairly quickly, especially in hot dry summers and so you need to make successional sowings every few weeks if a constant supply is required. Winter varieties provide leaves for a longer period, though they soon run to seed when the weather warms up.
Spinach grows well with strawberries[, ]. It also grows well with cabbages, onions, peas and celery[]. A fast-growing plant, the summer crop can be interplanted between rows of slower growing plants such as Brussels sprouts. The spinach would have been harvested before the other crop needs the extra space[]. Spinach is a bad companion for grapes and hyssop[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. Tender young leaves can be added to salads, older leaves are used as greens or added to soups etc[, ]. The leaves contain oxalic acid (6 - 8% in young leaves, 23 - 27% in the cotyledons)[], see the notes above on toxicity. A nutritional analysis of the leaves is available[].
Seeds - raw or cooked. It can be sprouted and added to salads[].
Chlorophyll extracted from the leaves is used as an edible green dye[].

Medicinal

The plant is carminative and laxative[]. In experiments it has been shown to have hypoglycaemic properties[]. It has been used in the treatment of urinary calculi[].
The leaves have been used in the treatment of febrile conditions, inflammation of the lungs and the bowels[].
The seeds are laxative and cooling[]. They have been used in the treatment of difficult breathing, inflammation of the liver and jaundice[].

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ from early spring to early summer for a summer crop. Make successional sowings, perhaps once a month, to ensure a continuity of supply. The seed germinates within about 2 weeks and the first leaves can be harvested about 6 weeks later. Seed is sown in situ during August and September for a winter crop.