The
sea beet,
Beta vulgaris subsp.
maritima ((L.) Arcangeli.), is a member of the family
Amaranthaceae, previously of the
Chenopodiaceae.
Carl Linnaeus first described
Beta vulgaris in 1753; in the second edition of
Species Plantarum in 1762, he divided the species into wild and cultivated varieties, giving the name
Beta maritima to the wild taxon.