Range of Distribution

Beta maritima is the most widespread taxon within the genus Beta. The plant also named “sea beet” can be found quite easily along the seashores of the Mediterranean Sea, the European Atlantic Ocean and in the western part of the Baltic Sea. Here, countless locations have been reported in the literature beginning in the early 1700s. The frequency of sea beet populations decreases as one goes inland, where the origin of the populations is more likely due to hybridization between sea beet and cultivated beet crops. Infrequently, the presence of sea beet has been reported on the shores of the North Sea, the Middle East, India, China, Japan and California. In North America, wild populations of Beta maritima, Beta macrocarpa and respective hybrids with cultivated beet likely originated from contaminated seed stocks.