ARGENTATA

(Beta vulgaris)  Old Italian heirloom; also known as 'Italian Silver Rib'.  Excellent flavour.  Attractive, vigorous plant with wide, white stems & crinkled dark green leaves.  Tolerates wide range of conditions.  50-60 days.  250 seeds

HISTORY:  Silverbeet had its beginnings as a beetroot.  While beetroot has been cultivated for its roots since the time of the early Greeks & Romans, it was with its arrival into Northern Europe that selection began for its greens rather than its roots.  This then developed into the Swiss Chard or Silverbeet that we have today