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Spinacia oleracea

Also known as spinach plant, spinach

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed either fresh, cooked or after storage (using preservation techniques like canning, freezing, or dehydration). The taste differs considerably between cooked and raw: the high oxalate content may be reduced by blanching.

OverviewAI-generated

Spinacia oleracea is a species of herbaceous, annual plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is classified within the kingdom Plantae, phylum Tracheophyta, class Magnoliopsida, and order Caryophyllales. The taxon is described as a useful plant with common names including spinach, ysbigoglys, 菠菜, and Spinazie. It serves as both a vegetable and a medicinal plant.

The species is native to Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Pakistan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It is also found in China, the Tibet Autonomous Region, and Guangdong. Records indicate occurrences in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

Nutritional data lists the plant as having 24 kcal of energy, 0.1 g of fat, and 2.7 g of proteins per serving. It holds a Nutri-Score of a and a Nova classification of 1. Scientific literature references the species in 5,131 PubMed entries and 1,312 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 52 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Encyclopedia of Life, Plants of the World, Openfoodfacts, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Spinacia oleracea

SPECIES

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyAmaranthaceae

Native toAfghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Pakistan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Observations recorded9,454

Chile Central

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 643
With media: 444
Family: Amaranthaceae
Collections: CCBA-FMVZ-UADY, ENCB-IPN, INECOL, UAZ, IBUNAM, RSA
Recorded in: Mexico, United States, Canada

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Nutrition · Open Food Facts

Typical values per 100 g · averaged across 42 products

aNutri-Score

1NOVA · Unprocessed / minimally processed

Energy: 24 kcal
Fat: 0.1 g
— of which saturates: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 3.6 g
— of which sugars: 0.4 g
Fibre: 2.4 g
Protein: 2.7 g
Salt: 0.19 g

Browse on Open Food Facts →

via Open Food Facts · ODbL

Research

5,131 papers

Functional properties of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) phytochemicals and bioactives.ReviewFood & function · 2016Roberts JL, Moreau RDOI: 10.1039/c6fo00051g
Spinacia Oleracea: Exploring the Therapeutic Potential in Persian Medicine and Modern Pharmacology.ReviewCurrent drug discovery technologies · 2024Akbari F, Mollaei M, Argani P et al.DOI: 10.2174/0115701638275971240201060710
Spinacia oleracea Linn Considered as One of the Most Perfect Foods: A Pharmacological and Phytochemical Review.ReviewMini reviews in medicinal chemistry · 2019Gutierrez RMP, Velazquez EG, Carrera SPPDOI: 10.2174/1389557519666190603090347
Cardioprotective potential of Spinacia oleracea (Spinach) against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats.Archives of physiology and biochemistry · 2022Panda V, Bhandare N, Mistry K et al.DOI: 10.1080/13813455.2019.1665074
Room-temperature serial synchrotron crystallography structure of Spinacia oleracea RuBisCO.Acta crystallographica. Section F, Structural biology communications · 2024Bjelčić M, Aurelius O, Nan J et al.DOI: 10.1107/S2053230X24004643
Gene Regulatory Network Controlling Flower Development in Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.).International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Ma Y, Fu W, Wan S et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116127
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Growth Model in Indoor Controlled Environment Using Agriculture 4.0.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Isaza C, Aleman-Trejo AM, Ramirez-Gutierrez CF et al.DOI: 10.3390/s25061684
Melatonin-mediated adaptation of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in acidic soil.Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB · 2025Hasan MK, Imon MAA, Jahan I et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.109816

via PubMed

~8 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections

Contents

Etymology
Taxonomy
Description
History
Culinary use
Nutrients
Cooking and oxalates
Cuisine
Production
Marketing and safety
In popular culture
See also
Notes
References
External links

It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), growing as tall as . Spinach may overwinter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular, and very variable in size: long and broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, in diameter, and mature into a small, hard, dry, lumpy fruit cluster across containing several seeds.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Spinacia oleracea” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.