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 Information
via 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 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