Strawberry blite (''Blitum capitatum'',
syn. ''Chenopodium capitatum'') is an edible
annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...
, also known as blite
goosefoot, strawberry goosefoot, strawberry spinach, Indian paint, and Indian ink.
It is native to most of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
throughout the
United States and
Canada, including northern areas. It is considered to be endangered in
Ohio. It is also found in parts of
Europe and
New Zealand.
Fruit are small, pulpy, bright red and edible, resembling strawberries, though their taste is more bland.
The juice from the fruit was also used as a red dye by native North Americans. The fruits contain small, black, lens-shaped seeds that are 0.7–1.2 mm long. The greens contain
vitamins A and
C; they are edible raw when young or as a
potherb
Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...
.
If raw they should be eaten in moderation as they contain
oxalates. The seeds may be toxic in large amounts.
Strawberry blite is found in moist mountain valleys.
References
[Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Pertti Uotila, Thomas Borsch: ''A novel phylogeny-based generic classification for Chenopodium sensu lato, and a tribal rearrangement of Chenopodioideae (Chenopodiaceae)''. In: ''Willdenowia'' 42, 2012, S. 17.]
Sources
*
Global Biodiversity Informationvia archive.org
*Britton, Nathaniel Lord and Brown, Addison "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions", published by C. Scribner's Sons, 1913.
*United States National Museum "Contributions from the United States National Herbarium", published by
Government Printing Office, 1890.
*Von Mueller, Ferdinand "Select Extra-tropical Plants Readily Eligible for Industrial Culture Or Naturalization", published by G.S. Davis, 1884.
*Coulter, John Merle and Nelson, Aven "New Manual of Botany of the Central Rocky Mountains (vascular Plants)", published by American Book Company, 1909.
External links
USDA Plants Profile for ''Chenopodium capitatum'' (blite goosefoot)— formerly ''Blitum capitatum''.
* — formerly ''Blitum capitatum''.
— formerly ''Blitum capitatum''.
* — formerly ''Blitum capitatum''.
*
*
capitatum
The capitate bone is a bone in the human wrist found in the center of the carpal bone region, located at the distal end of the radius and ulna bones. It articulates with the third metacarpal bone (the middle finger) and forms the third carp ...
Flora of Canada
Flora of the Eastern United States
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of California
Leaf vegetables
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Amaranthaceae-stub