Spinacia oleracea
speciesAt a glance
Sources17 archives
Databases and archives Spinacia oleracea's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation21 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility3 270 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI15 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics21 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
dukesphytochemcompounds
FooDBThe Metabolomics Innovation Centrecompounds↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
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 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. It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), growing as tall as 1 ft. Spinach may overwinter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular, and very variable in size: 2–30 cm long and 1–15 cm broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, 3–4 mm in diameter, and mature into a small, hard, dry, lumpy fruit cluster 5–10 mm across containing several seeds. In 2018, world production of spinach was 26.3 million tonnes, with China alone accounting for 90% of the total.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology8
Life cycle & reproduction10
Diet & foraging2
Habitat & environment13
Physiology & chemistry3
Other traits3
Compounds documented for Spinacia oleracea across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds6 153 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WATER | 930,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| CARBOHYDRATES | 415,660 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| PROTEIN | 352,954 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| ASH | 285,700 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FIBER | 111,634 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| OXALIC-ACID | 93,900 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| POTASSIUM | 69,077 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| SAPONINS | 47,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FAT | 46,672 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| NITROGEN | 45,700 ppm | DukesPhytochem |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Spinacia oleracea has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
Besides the big genome in the nucleus, cells carry a small, circular loop of DNA inside the cell's energy factories — the mitochondria. It is inherited almost only from the mother and is a leftover from ancient bacteria that moved into the cell. The mitochondrial markers above (ND*, COX, CYTB…) are read from exactly this loop. Outer ring = one strand, inner ring = the other.
The complete instruction manual Spinacia oleracea carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 1227×GoaT · Kew Plant DNA C-values Database · CCDB · slov-fl · CCDB · nw-europe-fl +6
2n 181×CCDB · book-indian_vol1
n 62×CCDB · Cave1962 · CCDB · Cave1963
diploid1×GoaT · Kew Plant DNA C-values Database
diploid inferred1×PloiDB · family-scale
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Record type3 270 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions94 of 166 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| NLD037location not on record | 64 |
| LDlocation not on record | 49 |
| Oskarshamn, SE | 29 |
| Beijing, CN | 25 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 24 |
| HUN003location not on record | 24 |
| GBR006location not on record | 22 |
| DBF-NHMDlocation not on record | 19 |
| Nanjing, CN | 18 |
| MeiseBGlocation not on record | 15 |
| ESP026location not on record | 15 |
| Olocation not on record | 12 |
| Yangling, CN | 12 |
| Xinxiang, CN | 11 |
| Jyväskylä, FI | 11 |
| Bern, CH | 10 |
| GZUlocation not on record | 7 |
| ESP027location not on record | 7 |
| Moscow State Universitylocation not on record | 7 |
| UChlocation not on record | 7 |
| 河南豫北黄河故道湿地鸟类国家级自然保护区location not on record | 7 |
| POL003location not on record | 7 |
| AZE015location not on record | 7 |
| Wuhan, CN | 6 |
| Urumqi, CN | 6 |
| Mlocation not on record | 6 |
| BFLlocation not on record | 6 |
| Helsinki, FI | 5 |
| GMBAlocation not on record | 5 |
| Karlsruhe, DE | 5 |
| Trondheim, NO | 5 |
| Görlitz, DE | 5 |
| Berlin, DE | 5 |
| Oulu, FI | 5 |
| Kuopio, FI | 5 |
| College of the Atlantic, Museumlocation not on record | 4 |
| Mérida, MX | 4 |
| Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record | 4 |
| Saint Louis, US | 4 |
| Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record | 4 |
| 云南省思茅市民族传统医药研究所location not on record | 4 |
| Porvoo, FI | 4 |
| Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA)location not on record | 4 |
| ROM007location not on record | 4 |
| Bronx, US | 4 |
| Riverside, US | 4 |
| Guilin, CN | 4 |
| TROMlocation not on record | 4 |
| Kunming, CN | 4 |
| Frauenfeld, CH | 3 |
| Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record | 3 |
| Sanda, JP | 3 |
| Tianjin Natural History Museumlocation not on record | 3 |
| Chengdu, CN | 3 |
| WNNUlocation not on record | 3 |
| Tilburg, NL | 3 |
| KMNlocation not on record | 3 |
| MKD001location not on record | 3 |
| Chongqing Museumlocation not on record | 3 |
| Denver, US | 3 |
| Vancouver, CA | 3 |
| National Institute of Biological Resourceslocation not on record | 3 |
| Mexico City, MX | 3 |
| Universidad de Caldas (UCaldas)location not on record | 3 |
| Taipei, TW | 3 |
| South Kensington, GB | 2 |
| WINlocation not on record | 2 |
| Riobamba, EC | 2 |
| IDElocation not on record | 2 |
| València, ES | 2 |
| Puerto Ayora, EC | 2 |
| Seoul, KR | 2 |
| Pullman, US | 2 |
| Shanghai, CN | 2 |
| ASUlocation not on record | 2 |
| Frankfurt am Main | 2 |
| Durango, MX | 2 |
| PUC-RSlocation not on record | 2 |
| New Haven, US | 2 |
| Tartu, EE | 2 |
| Paris, FR | 2 |
| Wuzhou, CN | 2 |
| Tsukuba, JP | 2 |
| Salzburg, AT | 2 |
| Turku, FI | 2 |
| Chiba, JP | 2 |
| Emporia, US | 2 |
| Shanxi Universitylocation not on record | 2 |
| Zürich, CH | 2 |
| Logan, US | 2 |
| Beijing Normal Universitylocation not on record | 2 |
| Taipei, TW | 2 |
| Provincia di Livornolocation not on record | 2 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 1 |
| Nagano City, JP | 1 |
| San José, CR | 1 |
| TAIElocation not on record | 1 |
| Viña del Mar, CL | 1 |
| ROM023location not on record | 1 |
| Xining, CN | 1 |
| JBSlocation not on record | 1 |
| Zhengzhou, CN | 1 |
| Royal Botanic Garden Edinburghlocation not on record | 1 |
| GBS RAN - Glavny Botanichesky Sad Rossijskoj Akademii Nauklocation not on record | 1 |
| Jaén, ES | 1 |
| Entomological Society of Latvialocation not on record | 1 |
| Criciúma, BR | 1 |
| Uppsala, SE | 1 |
| Tromso University Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Missoula, US | 1 |
| Sendai, JP | 1 |
| Strecker Museum, Baylor Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Uniwersytet Wrocławskilocation not on record | 1 |
| Tokushima, JP | 1 |
| Bloomington, US | 1 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 1 |
| Wlocation not on record | 1 |
| Cambridge, US | 1 |
| Post Graduate College Bannulocation not on record | 1 |
| Bourges, FR | 1 |
| Burlington, US | 1 |
| Gujarat Biodiversity Gene Banklocation not on record | 1 |
| Pocatello, US | 1 |
| Museum Ludovicae Ulricae, Zoology Institute of the University of Uppsalalocation not on record | 1 |
| Tampa, US | 1 |
| Xian, CN | 1 |
| Northridge, US | 1 |
| Research Collection of B. A. Bennettlocation not on record | 1 |
| Kew, GB | 1 |
| Laboratorio de Ictiologialocation not on record | 1 |
| Davis, US | 1 |
| Flagstaff, US | 1 |
| BRNUlocation not on record | 1 |
| Xiamen, CN | 1 |
| 东北师范大学自然博物馆location not on record | 1 |
| Beijing Natural History Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidad Católica de Santa Maríalocation not on record | 1 |
| JMSlocation not on record | 1 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 1 |
| Zacatecas, MX | 1 |
| UNESClocation not on record | 1 |
| Ischia Marine Centrelocation not on record | 1 |
| Irvine, US | 1 |
| Québec, CA | 1 |
| Phoenix, US | 1 |
| Podgorica, ME | 1 |
| College Park, US | 1 |
| Mexico City, MX | 1 |
| Uniwersytet Jagiellońskilocation not on record | 1 |
| Odawara, JP | 1 |
| Uniwersytet Warszawskilocation not on record | 1 |
| Nishihara, JP | 1 |
| Whitehorse, CA | 1 |
| QAPlocation not on record | 1 |
| Barcelona, ES | 1 |
| CASlocation not on record | 1 |
| NMBU:MINAlocation not on record | 1 |
| MAlocation not on record | 1 |
| Fukushima Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Stockholm, SE | 1 |
| Claremont, US | 1 |
| Sion, CH | 1 |
| Wellington, NZ | 1 |
| Dresden, DE | 1 |
| GJOlocation not on record | 1 |
| Porrentruy, CH | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Spinacia oleracea was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Measured at samplingin-field
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.