This annual or biennial ("spinach") orginated from the Mediterranean region and it has become widely cultivated for human consumption across temperate regions of the World. However, it rarely escapes in eastern North America and it may not be truly naturalized. There are no records of escaped plants in Ky. The climate may not be suited, with harsh winters, and seedligns are highly palatable to generalist herbivores. The species is often at least partlially dioecious, and females can suffer more damage from slugs, compared to males (Pérez- Llorca & Vilas 2019)