Scientific Name: Beta vulgaris L.

Arabic name(s): السِّلْق

English name(s): Garden beet/Beetroot

Growth form: Garden beet is an annual herb.

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Amaranthaceae

Genus: Beta L.

Species: Beta vulgaris L.

Citation in the Quran:

The plant is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.

Citation in the Hadit:

Sahl Bin Sad says: “We used to be happy on Fridays, for there was an old lady who used to pull out the roots of silq and put it in a cooking pot with some barley. When we had finished the prayer, we would visit her and she would present that dish before us. So we used to be happy on Fridays.” Sahih Al Bukhari, book of food.

Habitat & Distribution:

Garden beet “Silq” grows wildly in moist places in desert and also it frequently appears in cultivated hedges.