The Betoideae is a small subfamily of the flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 family Amaranthaceae

Amaranthaceae

The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....

, formerly classified in family Chenopodiaceae

Chenopodiaceae

Chenopodiaceae were a family of flowering plants, also called the Goosefoot Family. They are now included within family Amaranthaceae. The vast majority of Chenopods are weeds, and many are salt and drought tolerant. A few food crops also belong to the family: spinach, beets, chard, quinoa, and...

.

Description

The species of Betoideae are annuals, biennial or perennial herbs, vines (Hablitzia

Hablitzia

Hablitzia tamnoides, the sole species in the genus Hablitzia, is a herbaceous perennial plant, native to the Caucasus region. It is in the family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Betoideae, related to Beta, but unlike that genus, is a vine, climbing to 3 m or more tall in summer.The leaves are edible,...

) or subshrubs. The flowers have 5 tepals (Aphanisma

Aphanisma

Aphanisma is a monotypic genus which contains the sole species Aphanisma blitoides, a rare annual plant known by the common names San Diego coastalcreeper or simply aphanisma. This is a beach-dwelling plant native to the coastline of Baja California and southern California, including the Channel...

only 3) and 5 stamens (Aphanisma

Aphanisma

Aphanisma is a monotypic genus which contains the sole species Aphanisma blitoides, a rare annual plant known by the common names San Diego coastalcreeper or simply aphanisma. This is a beach-dwelling plant native to the coastline of Baja California and southern California, including the Channel...

only one). The fruits of Betoideae are capsules that open with a circumscissile lid.

Distribution

Most genera are distributed in West- and South-Europe, in the Mediterranean and Southwest-Asia, but one disjunct genus, Aphanisma

Aphanisma

Aphanisma is a monotypic genus which contains the sole species Aphanisma blitoides, a rare annual plant known by the common names San Diego coastalcreeper or simply aphanisma. This is a beach-dwelling plant native to the coastline of Baja California and southern California, including the Channel...

, lives at the coasts of California.

Evolution

The age of the subfamily ist estimated to be 48,6-35,4 million years old. The areals of Aphanisma

Aphanisma

Aphanisma is a monotypic genus which contains the sole species Aphanisma blitoides, a rare annual plant known by the common names San Diego coastalcreeper or simply aphanisma. This is a beach-dwelling plant native to the coastline of Baja California and southern California, including the Channel...

in California and Oreobliton in North-Africa are interpreted als remnants from a Beringian ancestor, the disjunction circa 15,4-9,2 million years ago.

Genera

The Betoideae form a monophyletic Taxon with 5-6 genera.

• Cladus Beteae
  • Beta
    Beta (plant)
    Beta is a genus in the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae. The best known member is the common Beet, Beta vulgaris, but several other species are recognised...
    
    L. , about 7-12 species in West-Europe, Mediterranean, Southwest-Asia, with the important crops:
    • Chard
      Chard
      Chard , is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. While the leaves are always green, chard stalks vary in color. Chard has been bred to have highly nutrious leaves at the expense of the root...
      
      , Beetroot
      Beetroot
      The beetroot, also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet or informally simply as beet, is one of the many cultivated varieties of beets and arguably the most commonly encountered variety in North America, Central America and Britain.-Consumption:The usually deep-red roots of beetroot are...
      
      , Mangelwurzel
      Mangelwurzel
      Mangelwurzel or mangold wurzel , also called mangold, mangel beet, field beet and fodder beet, is a cultivated root vegetable derived from Beta vulgaris...
      
      , Sugar beet
      Sugar beet
      Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
      
      
• Cladus Hablitzieae
  • Acroglochin Schrad. ex Schult. (Classification not sure)
  • Aphanisma Nutt. ex Moq., with one species
    • Aphanisma blitoides Nutt. ex Moq., California
  • Hablitzia M.Bieb., with one species
    • Hablitzia tamnoides M.Bieb., Caucasian floristic region
  • Oreobliton Durieu, with one species
    • Oreobliton thesioides Durieu & Moq., North-Africa
  • Patellifolia, with 2-3 species, Canary Islands, western Mediterranean