''Blitum bonus-henricus'' ( syn. ''Chenopodium bonus-henricus''), also called Good-King-Henry, poor-man's asparagus, perennial goosefoot, Lincolnshire spinach, Markery, English mercury, or mercury goosefoot, is a species of

goosefoot ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classific ...

which is native to much of central and southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. Good-King-Henry has been grown as a

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

in cottage

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s for hundreds of years, although this dual-purpose vegetable is now rarely grown and the species is more often considered a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

Description

It is an

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

growing up to tall. The leaves are long and broad, triangular to diamond-shaped, with a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base, with a slightly waxy, succulent texture. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are produced in a tall, nearly leafless spike long; each flower is very small ( in diameter), green, with five sepals. The

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s are reddish-green, 2–3 mm in diameter.

Taxonomy

The species was described in 1753 by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

as ''Chenopodium bonus-henricus'' in '' Species Plantarum''. Until 2012, the species was usually included in genus ''

Chenopodium ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classific ...

'', but molecular genetical research revealed that it does not really belong to this genus. It seems to be more closely related to the genus ''

Spinacia ''Spinacia'' is a flowering plant genus in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. The most common member is spinach. Description The species in genus ''Spinacia'' are annual or biennial herbs. Plants are always glabrous. ...

'', and is now placed in the genus ''

Blitum ''Blitum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the amaranth family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. It is closely related to genus ''Spinacia''. Its 12 species were traditionally placed in the genera '' Chenopodium'', ''Monolepis'', or ''S ...

'' in the tribe Anserineae. The scientific name ''Blitum bonus-henricus'' was first used by Ludwig Reichenbach in 1832. Synonyms basing on the same type specimen are: ''Agathophytum bonus-henricus'' (L.) Moq., ''Anserina bonus-henricus'' (L.) Dumort., ''Atriplex bonus-henricus'' (L.) Crantz, ''Chenopodium bonus-henricus'' L., ''Orthospermum bonus-henricus'' (L.) Schur, and ''Orthosporum bonus-henricus'' (L.) T. Nees. Heterotypic synonyms are: ''Blitum perenne'' Bubani, ''Chenopodium hastatum'' St.-Lag., ''Chenopodium ruderale'' Kit. ex Moq., ''Chenopodium ruderale'' St.-Lag., ''Chenopodium sagittatum'' Lam., ''Chenopodium spinacifolium'' Stokes, ''Chenopodium triangulare'' Dulac, ''Chenopodium triangularifolia'' Gilib., and ''Orthosporum unctuosum'' Montandon.

Cultivation

''Blitum bonus-henricus'' thrives best in a fertile, sunny location which is free from perennial

s. Cold-stratified seeds may have superior germination rates. Very little growth is produced in the first season. This plant does not respond well to transplantation. The

foliage A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, s ...

may be cut back in autumn.

Uses

Cropping can begin in spring. Some of the new

shoot In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the sp ...

s can be thinned out as they appear (usually from mid-spring to early summer) and cooked like

asparagus Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus '' Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. It was once classified in ...

. All cutting should then cease so that shoots are allowed to develop. The succulent triangular leaves may be harvested a few at a time until the end of August and cooked like spinach.

Gallery

File:Plants from Passo Pordoi 14.jpg File:Chenopodium bonus-henricus.JPG File:Chenopodium bonus-henricus sl1.jpg

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q163805 bonus-henricus Flora of Europe Leaf vegetables Perennial vegetables Stem vegetables Flora of New Jersey Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora without expected TNC conservation status