Spinach 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 edible vegetable consumed either fresh, or after storage using preservation techniques by canning, freezing, or dehydration. It may be eaten cooked or raw, and the taste differs considerably; the high oxalate content may be reduced by steaming.
Image: Spinacia oleracea Spinazie bloeiend
Image: Illustration Spinacia oleracea 1
Spinach male flowers
Spinach female flowers
Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad greens.
Spinach leaves in a colander
A bundle of curly-leaf kale
Large pot of collard greens being prepared on a US Navy ship
Liponda greens to be cooked and accompany ugali in east Africa