Nile region, oases, Mediterranean region, Egyptian desert and Sinai.
Cosmopolitan.
Weeds of cultivation and waste ground.
Annual.
It is evident that most recent evolutionary processes within the group were greatly affected by anthropic factors, including extensive recent invasions, hybridization between previously geographically isolated taxa, poly-ploidy, intensive selective processes and mutagenesis in synanthropic habitats, gene drift, and so forth. All of these modern factors further complicated the taxonomic situation. Consequently, no infraspecific taxa are formally recognized in the present treatment. We attempt, however, to outline below the most common or noteworthy groups currently placed in Chenopodium album sensu lato. Although we list such groups under binomials, they should be considered here as informal groupings rather than accepted species.
It should be also kept in mind that many enigmatic and deviant forms of the Chenopodium album aggregate are in fact hybrids with other (occasionally several) species, and between infraspecific entities. C. album hybridizes with C. suecicum (producing C. ×fursajevii Aellen & Iljin), C. opulifolium (producing C. ×preissmannii Murr), C. strictum [producing C. ×pseudostriatum (Zschacke) Murr], C. ficifolium (producing C. ×jedlickae Dvorák or C. ×zahnii Murr), C. berlandieri (producing C. ×variabile Aellen), and some other species.
Chenopodium album sensu stricto: plants usually erect, ± farinose, at maturity becoming yellowish green with reddish tint; not profusely branched, branches in proximal 1/2 mostly arching, in distal part straight and upright; proximal and middle cauline leaf blades ovate to weakly 3-lobed, margins dentate, teeth usually small and densely arranged; inflorescences normally condensed, spicate; seeds variable (especially in hybrids and deviate forms) but most often 1-1.25 mm diam., seed coat smooth or nearly so.
The typical form of Chenopodium album is widespread in North America, but occurs sporadically and less commonly than the following form.
Chenopodium lanceolatum Muhlenberg ex Willdenow: plants usually robust, erect to ascending, sparsely to moderately farinose, at maturity usually dark green; profusely branched, especially in inflorescence, branches arcuate and spreading; proximal and middle cauline leaf blades elliptic or elongate to narrowly lanceolate, base cuneate to narrowly cuneate, margins entire or with few teeth (usually in proximal 1/2); inflorescences normally much-branched, loosely paniculate, often nodding; seeds variable in size.
Chenopodium lanceolatum is probably the most widespread and variable group of presumably hybridogenous forms in North America. I. J. Bassett and C. Crompton (1982) considered C. lanceolatum to be a form of C. album. It appears that the difference between these two taxa is based on habitat---C. album grows in cultivated ground and has an erect growth habit whereas C. lanceolatum grows in vacant lots, roadsides, etc., and has a more sprawling habit.
Chenopodium pedunculare Bertoloni: plants similar to C. lanceolatum, but less robust, usually with ascending branches, sparsely to moderately farinose, at maturity dark green to yellowish; profusely branched, especially in inflorescence; proximal and middle cauline leaf blades ovate to broadly lanceolate (distal ones lanceolate), base rounded to cuneate, margins normally entire or with few teeth at base; inflorescences much-branched, loosely paniculate, nodding; seeds large, ca. 1.5 mm diam., seed coat smooth to irregularly and indistinctly grooved.
Forms similar to the European ones occur in North America, but their exact distribution and taxonomic status are uncertain. The taxonomy of Chenopodium pedunculare was discussed in detail by F. Dvo ák (1984).
Chenopodium suecicum Murr, and similar taxa including C. pseudopulifolium (J. B. Scholz) Murr: plants usually erect, sparsely to moderately farinose, or becoming glabrous, at maturity usually light green to dark green; branched in middle portion of stem and in inflorescence, branches straight to arcuate; proximal and middle cauline leaf blades elliptic or elongate to narrowly lanceolate, base cuneate to narrowly cuneate, margins variously 3-lobed and/or dentate, teeth few, usually large (especially in proximal 1/2); inflorescences much-branched, loosely paniculate; seeds variable, but predominantly ca. 1 mm diam., seed coat with indistinct elongate depressions and radial grooves, occasionally nearly smooth.
Chenopodium suecicum was repeatedly reported from North America, mostly by European authors, and indeed, similar forms occur in the New World. However, their taxonomy is far from clear, and because of that they are treated here collectively, as an informal group of C. album. Some forms are transitional toward C. lanceolatum. Numerous forms of "C. syecucyn" were identified in North America as C. album sensu stricto or C. missouriense. The name C. paganum auct. was also widely misapplied.
Chenopodium jenissejense Iljin: plants usually with erect or ascending (rarely prostrate) main stem, sparsely farinose to almost glabrous, deep olive green, at maturity becoming yellowish or reddish; not profusely branched, proximal branches arcuate to almost prostrate; proximal and middle cauline leaf blades ovate-deltoid, 3-lobed to indistinctly 3-lobed, margins of lobes entire or nearly so, teeth (if present) small and obtuse; inflorescences normally compact, spicate; perianth segments spreading at maturity, not covering fruit; seeds 1-1.4 mm diam., seed coat indistinctly pitted with weak radial grooves.
Chenopodium jenissejense is a characteristic nonweedy alluvial taxon of sandy and gravelly river shores of northern Eurasia (northeastern European Russia, Siberia), related to C. acerifolium (see below). Several specimens collected in Alaska are probably referable to C. jenissejense; the available scarce material is not sufficient to confirm this.
Chenopodium acerifolium Andrzejowsky: similar in morphology to C. jenissejense, this is a characteristic, predominantly nonweedy alluvial species confined to sandy habitats of eastern Europe and western Siberia. It has been reported as introduced in Colorado (W. A. Weber and R. C. Wittmann 1992); this record was probably based on misidentification of C. berlandieri (var. sinuatum?).
Chenopodium giganteum D. Don, C. centrorubrum (Makino) Nakai, C. probstii Aellen, and other similar forms: plants usually exceptionally robust, to 20-30 (occasionally more) dm, erect, ± densely farinose (mealy pubescence of young leaves usually reddish or yellowish), at maturity becoming yellowish green, yellow to deep beet red; variously (but usually not profusely) branched; proximal and middle cauline leaf blades large (to 15 cm), ovate to distinctly 3-lobed, margins dentate to ± entire; terminal inflorescences normally condensed, spicate (in some forms lax but large), lateral inflorescences usually weakly developed; seeds variable but most often ca 1.2 mm diam. or larger, seed coat smooth or nearly so.
These taxa are probably all native to southern and southeastern Asia, where they were occasionally cultivated as ancient leaf vegetables and pseudocereals. In Japan and eastern China they were usually known as Chenopodium centrorubrum (Makino) Nakai, and in India and western China as C. giganteum D. Don. Other forms, such as C. amaranticolor Coste & Reynier, are of uncertain origin. Chenopodium probstii Aellen was described from Europe as an alien species supposedly introduced from Australia, but then its North American origin was suggested. Probably the forms discussed evolved independently in different parts of Eurasia and, consequently, represent different taxa of the C. album aggregate. Despite several painstaking efforts (e.g., P. Aellen 1929c; F. Dvo ák 1992), their taxonomy still remains confused and is in need of further experimental studies.
Chenopodium album var. stevensii Aellen: plants with thick leaves and reduced size are possibly a phenotypic response to dry northern prairie habitats. It has been reported from southern Manitoba and northern parts of the upper Midwest.
Chenopodium missouriense Aellen: a confusing taxon because of its mixed typification. It appears to be a native form of C. album that flowers in mid September regardless of when it germinated. The inflorescences are somewhat reminiscent of C. standleyanum. It occurs in the United States in the central lowlands and part of the Appalachian plateau and is designated a weed (D. T. Patterson et al. 1989).
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium. Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed. Common names include lamb's quarters, melde, goosefoot, wild spinach and fat-hen, though the latter two are also applied to other species of the genus Chenopodium, for which reason it is often distinguished as white goosefoot.[2][3][4] Chenopodium album is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India,[5][6] Nepal,[7] and Pakistan as a food crop known as bathua.
Its native range is obscure due to extensive cultivation,[8] but includes most of Europe,[9] from where Linnaeus described the species in 1753.[10] Plants native in eastern Asia are included under C. album, but often differ from European specimens.[11] It is widely naturalised elsewhere, e.g. Africa,[12] Australasia,[13] North America,[4] and Oceania,[3] and now occurs almost everywhere (except Antarctica)[1] in soils rich in nitrogen, especially on wasteland.
It tends to grow upright at first, reaching heights of 10–150 cm (rarely to 3 m), but typically becomes recumbent after flowering (due to the weight of the foliage and seeds) unless supported by other plants. The leaves are alternate and varied in appearance. The first leaves, near the base of the plant, are toothed and roughly diamond-shaped, 3–7 cm long and 3–6 cm broad. The leaves on the upper part of the flowering stems are entire and lanceolate-rhomboid, 1–5 cm long and 0.4–2 cm broad; they are waxy-coated, unwettable and mealy in appearance, with a whitish coat on the underside. The small flowers are radially symmetrical and grow in small cymes on a dense branched inflorescence 10–40 cm long.[3][4][11] Further, the flowers are bisexual and female, with five tepals which are mealy on outer surface, and shortly united at the base.[14] There are five stamens.[14]
Chenopodium album has a very complex taxonomy and has been divided in numerous microspecies, subspecies and varieties, but it is difficult to differentiate between them. The following infraspecific taxa are accepted by the Flora Europaea:[9]
Published names and synonyms include C. album var. microphyllum, C. album var. stevensii, C. acerifolium, C. centrorubrum, C. giganteum, C. jenissejense, C. lanceolatum, C. pedunculare and C. probstii.
It also hybridises readily with several other Chenopodium species, including C. berlandieri, C. ficifolium, C. opulifolium, C. strictum and C. suecicum.
The species are cultivated as a grain or vegetable crop (such as in lieu of spinach), as well as animal feed in Asia[5] and Africa, whereas in Europe and North America, it is commonly regarded as a weed in places such as potato fields,[15] while in Australia it is naturalised in all states and regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.[16]
It is one of the more robust and competitive weeds, capable of producing crop losses of up to 13% in corn, 25% in soybeans, and 48% in sugar beets at an average plant distribution. It may be controlled by dark tillage, rotary hoeing, or flaming when the plants are small. Crop rotation of small grains will suppress an infestation. It is easily controlled with a number of pre-emergence herbicides.[17] Its pollen may contribute to hay fever-like allergies.[18]
Chenopodium album is vulnerable to leaf miners, making it a useful trap crop as a companion plant. Growing near other plants, it attracts leaf miners which might otherwise have attacked the crop to be protected. It is a host plant for the beet leafhopper, an insect which transmits curly top virus to beet crops.
Raw lamb's quarters are 84% water, 7% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and 1% fat (table). In a 100 gram reference amount, lamb's quarters provide 43 calories, and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, vitamin C (96% DV), vitamin A (73% DV), riboflavin (37% DV), vitamin B6 (21% DV), manganese (37% DV), and calcium (31% DV), with several other dietary minerals in lesser amounts (table).
The leaves and young shoots may be eaten raw or cooked as a leaf vegetable,[19][a].
The flower buds and flowers can also be eaten cooked.[19] Each plant produces tens of thousands of black seeds. Quinoa, a closely related species, is grown specifically for its seeds.[21] The Zuni people cook the young plants' greens.[22]
Archaeologists analysing carbonized plant remains found in storage pits and ovens at Iron Age, Viking Age, and Roman sites in Europe have found its seeds mixed with conventional grains and even inside the stomachs of Danish bog bodies.[23]
In India, the plant is called bathua and found abundantly in the winter season.[24] The leaves and young shoots of this plant are used in dishes such as soups, curries, and paratha-stuffed breads, common in North India. The seeds or grains are used in phambra or laafi, gruel-type dishes in Himachal Pradesh, and in mildly alcoholic fermented beverages such as soora and ghanti.[25] In Haryana state, the "bathue ka raita" i.e. the raita (yogurt dip) made with bathua, is very popular in winters.[26] Bathua seeds also double up for rice and dal. Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have once relied on bathua seeds to feed his troops during lean times.
In Nepal, it is known as bethe or bethu. It is used to make dish known as saag.[7] The leaves are stir fried with spices, chilly and diced garlic. A fermented dish known as masaura is also made by dipping the leaves in a lentil batter with spices and then dried in sun for some days. The fermented masaura can be made into a curry and served with rice. It is also used to make an instant salad-style-achaar and chutneys.[27]
As some of the common names suggest, it is also used as feed (both the leaves and the seeds) for chickens and other poultry.
The juice of this plant is a potent ingredient for a mixture of wall plaster, according to the Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra, which is a Sanskrit treatise dealing with Śilpaśāstra (Hindu science of art and construction).[28]
In Ayurveda traditional medicine, bathua is thought to be useful for treating various diseases,[29] although there is no clinical evidence such uses are safe or effective.
Close-up of flower and flower bud
Young Chenopodium album
Domestic Lamb's Quarter - Cecil County, MD - November 2015
Footnotes
Citations
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium. Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed. Common names include lamb's quarters, melde, goosefoot, wild spinach and fat-hen, though the latter two are also applied to other species of the genus Chenopodium, for which reason it is often distinguished as white goosefoot. Chenopodium album is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India, Nepal, and Pakistan as a food crop known as bathua.
