Practical
Plants

Spinacia oleracea

Spinach

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

The leaves of most varieties of spinach are high in oxalic acid[12]. 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[13].

Edible uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[1][8][5][17][3]. Tender young leaves can be added to salads, older leaves are used as greens or added to soups etc[7][11]. The leaves contain oxalic acid (6 - 8% in young leaves, 23 - 27% in the cotyledons)[12], see the notes above on toxicity. A nutritional analysis of the leaves is available[12]. Seeds - raw or cooked. It can be sprouted and added to salads[7]. Chlorophyll extracted from the leaves is used as an edible green dye[4].

Product or use
Colouring
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The plant is carminative and laxative[12]. In experiments it has been shown to have hypoglycaemic properties[12]. It has been used in the treatment of urinary calculi[14]. The leaves have been used in the treatment of febrile conditions, inflammation of the lungs and the bowels[14]. The seeds are laxative and cooling[14]. They have been used in the treatment of difficult breathing, inflammation of the liver and jaundice[14].

Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Hypoglycaemic
Product or use
Laxative

Material uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[2].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
The origin of this plant is uncertain, it probably arose in S.W. Asia.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ from March to June 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.

Cultivation

Plants grow best and produce their heaviest crop of leaves on a nitrogen-rich soil[5][17][10]. They dislike very heavy or very light soils[17]. They also dislike acid soils, preferring a neutral to slightly alkaline soil[10]. Plants require plenty of moisture in the growing season, dry summers causing the plants to quickly run to seed[16]. Summer crops do best in light shade to encourage more leaf production before the plant goes to seed[16], winter crops require a warm dry sunny position[1][16]. Young plants are hardy to about -9°c[10]. Spinach is often cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[3][7]. 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[15]. They were more often used to produce a crop in the winter[10][15]. 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[15]. They were used mainly for the summer crop[10]. 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[15]. Some modern varieties have been developed that are low in oxalic acid. Edible leaves can be obtained all year round from successional sowings[10]. 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[6][9]. It also grows well with cabbages, onions, peas and celery[11]. 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[10]. Spinach is a bad companion for grapes and hyssop[11].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  3. Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

    ↩

  5. Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0

    ↩1↩2

  6. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

    ↩

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  9. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩

  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  11. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  13. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩

  14. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  15. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0 333 62640 0

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

    ↩1↩2↩3

  17. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

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