''Chenopodium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of numerous

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

perennial 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 widel ...

or annual

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making i ...

in the

APG II system The APG II system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II system) of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Gr ...

; older classification systems, notably the widely used Cronquist system, separate it and its relatives as Chenopodiaceae, but this leaves the rest of the Amaranthaceae polyphyletic. However, among the Amaranthaceae, the genus ''Chenopodium'' is the namesake member of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

Chenopodioideae The Chenopodioideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae in the APG III system, which is largely based on molecular phylogeny, but were included - together with other subfamilies - in family Chenopodiaceae in the Cronqui ...

Description

The species of ''Chenopodium'' (s.str., description according to Fuentes et al. 2012) are annual or

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

shrubs A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

or small

trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

. They generally rely on

alkaline soil Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico ...

. They are nonaromatic, but sometimes fetid. The young stems and leaves are often densely covered by vesicular globose hairs, thus looking farinose. Characteristically, these

trichomes Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

persist, collapsing later and becoming cup-shaped. The branched stems grow erect, ascending, prostrate or scrambling. Lateral branches are alternate (the lowermost ones can be nearly opposite). The alternate or opposite

leaves 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, st ...

are petiolate. Their thin or slightly fleshy leaf blade is linear, rhombic or triangular-hastate, with entire or dentate or lobed margins.

Inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

s are standing terminal and lateral. They consist of spicately or paniculately arranged glomerules of flowers. Plants are

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is ...

(rarely

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

). In monoecious plants flowers are dimorphic or pistillate. Flowers consist of (4–) 5

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla ( petals) or tepals when ...

segments connate, basally or close to the middle, usually membranous margined and with a roundish to keeled back; almost always 5 stamens, and one ovary with 2 stigmas. In fruit, perianth segments become sometimes coloured, but mostly keep unchanged, somewhat closing over or spreading from the fruit. The pericarp is membranous or sometimes succulent, adherent to or loosely covering the seed. The horizontally oriented seeds are depressed-globular to lenticular, with rounded to subacute margin. The black seed coat is almost smooth to finely striate, rugulose or pitted.

Uses and human importance

The genus ''Chenopodium'' contains several plants of minor to moderate importance as food crops as leaf vegetables – used like the closely related

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

(''Spinacia oleracea'') and similar plants called ''quelite'' in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

and

pseudocereal A pseudocereal or pseudograin is one of any non-grasses that are used in much the same way as cereals (true cereals are grasses). Pseudocereals can be further distinguished from other non-cereal staple crops (such as potatoes) by their being proc ...

s. These include

white goosefoot ''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- ...

(''C. album''), ''

kañiwa ''Chenopodium pallidicaule'', known as ''cañihua'', ''canihua'' or ''cañahua'' (from Quechua ''qañiwa, qañawa or qañawi'') and also kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related ''quinoa'' ''(Chenopo ...

'' (''C. pallidicaule'') and

quinoa Quinoa (''Chenopodium quinoa''; , from Quechua ' or ') is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, ...

(''C. quinoa''). On the Greek island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, tender shoots and leaves of a species called ''krouvida'' (κρουβίδα) or ''psarovlito'' (ψαρόβλητο) are eaten by the locals, boiled or steamed. As studied by Bruce D. Smith,

Kristen Gremillion Kristen Johnson Gremillion (born November 17, 1958) is an American anthropologist whose areas of specialization include paleoethnobotany, origins of agriculture, the prehistory of eastern North America, human paleoecology and paleodiet, and the e ...

and others, goosefoots have a history of culinary use dating back to 4000 BC or earlier, when pitseed goosefoot (''C. berlandieri'') was a staple crop in the Native American Eastern Agricultural Complex, and white goosefoot was apparently used by the Ertebølle culture of

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 Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Members of the eastern Yamnaya culture also harvested white goosefoot as an apparent cereal substitute to round out an otherwise mostly meat and dairy diet c.'' ''3500–2500'' ''BC. There is increased interest in particular in goosefoot seeds today, which are suitable as part of a gluten-free diet. Quinoa oil, extracted from the seeds of ''C. quinoa'', has similar properties, but is superior in quality, to

corn oil Corn oil (North American) or maize oil (British) is oil extracted from the germ of corn (maize). Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margar ...

. Oil of chenopodium is extracted from the seeds of epazote, which is not in this genus anymore. Shagreen leather was produced in the past using the small, hard goosefoot seeds. ''C. album'' was one of the main

model organism A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...

s for the molecular biological study of

chlorophyllase Chlorophyllase is an essential enzyme in chlorophyll metabolism. It is a membrane proteins commonly known as chlase (EC 3.1.1.14, CLH) with systematic name chlorophyll chlorophyllidohydrolase. It catalyzes the reaction :chlorophyll + H2O = phy ...

. Goosefoot

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...

, in particular of the widespread and usually abundant ''C. album'', is an

allergen An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies. In technical t ...

to many people and a common cause of

hay fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...

. The same species, as well as some others, have seeds which are able to persist for years in the

soil seed bank The soil seed bank is the natural storage of seeds, often dormant, within the soil of most ecosystems. The study of soil seed banks started in 1859 when Charles Darwin observed the emergence of seedlings using soil samples from the bottom of a ...

. Many goosefoot species are thus significant weeds, and some have become

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

. In Australia, the larger ''Chenopodium'' species are among the plants called "bluebushes". According to the 1889 book ''The Useful Native Plants of Australia'', ''Chenopodium auricomum'' "is another of the salt-bushes, which, besides being invaluable food for stock, can be eaten by man. All plants of the Natural Order Chenopodiaceae (Salsolacese) are more or less useful in this respect." The book goes on to give the following account from the ''Journal de la Ferme et des Maisons de campagne'':

We have recently gathered an abundant harvest of leaves from two or three plants growing in our garden. These leaves were put into boiling water to blanch them, and they were then cooked as an ordinary dish of spinach, with this difference in favour of the new plant, that there was no occasion to take away the threads which are so disagreeable in chicory, sorrel, and ordinary spinach. We partook of this dish with relish—the flavour—analogous to spinach, had something in it more refined, less grassy in taste. The cultivation is easy: sow the seed in April (October) in a well-manured bed, for the plant is greedy; water it. The leaves may be gathered from the time the plant attains 50 centimetres (say 20 inches) in height. They grow up again quickly. In less than eight days afterwards another gathering may take place, and so on to the end of the year.

Chualar, California is named after a Native American term for a goosefoot abundant in the region, probably the California goosefoot (''Blitum californicum'').

Ecology

Certain species grow in large

thicket A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in t ...

s, providing cover for small animals. Goosefoot foliage is used as food by the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

s of certain

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

. The seeds are eaten by many

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s, such as the yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella'') of Europe or the white-winged fairy-wren (''Malurus leucopterus'') of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Goosefoot pathogens include the

positive-sense ssRNA virus Positive-strand RNA viruses (+ssRNA viruses) are a group of related viruses that have positive-sense, single-stranded genomes made of ribonucleic acid. The positive-sense genome can act as messenger RNA (mRNA) and can be directly translated int ...

es apple stem grooving virus, sowbane mosaic virus and

tobacco necrosis virus ''Tobacco necrosis virus A'' is a plant pathogenic virus of the family ''Tombusviridae''. Hosts and symptoms Tobacco necrosis virus (TNV) can thrive on a handful of viable hosts. These hosts include tobacco, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, French ...

Systematics

The genus ''Chenopodium'' was described by

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

in 1753 (In: ''Species Plantarum'', Vol. 1, p. 218–222). Type species is '' Chenopodium album''. This generic name is derived from the particular shape of the leaf, which is similar to a goose's foot: from Greek χήν (''chen''), "goose" and πούς (''pous''), "foot" or ποδίον (''podion''), "little foot". In its traditional circumscription, ''Chenopodium'' comprised about 170 species. Phylogenetic research revealed, that the genus was highly polyphyletic and did not reflect how species were naturally related. Therefore, a new classification was necessary. Mosyakin & Clemants (2002, 2008) separated the glandular species as genus '' Dysphania'' (which includes epazote) and '' Teloxys'' in tribe Dysphanieae. Fuentes-Bazan et al. (2012) separated many species to genera '' Blitum'' (in tribe Anserineae), '' Chenopodiastrum'', ''

Lipandra ''Lipandra polysperma'' (Syn. ''Chenopodium polyspermum''), common name manyseed goosefoot, is the only species of the monotypic plant genus ''Lipandra'' from the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. Description ''Lipandra ...

'', and '' Oxybasis'' (like ''Chenopodium'' in tribe

Atripliceae Atripliceae are a tribe of the subfamily Chenopodioideae belonging to the plant family Amaranthaceae. ''Atriplex'' is the largest genus of the tribe. Species of Atripiceae are ecologically important in steppe and semi-desert climates. Distribut ...

). They included ''Rhagodia'' and ''Einadia'' in ''Chenopodium''.

Selected species

MagentaSpreen Chenopodium giganteum EdibleOffice

* '' Chenopodium acicularis'' * '' Chenopodium acuminatum'' Willd. * '' Chenopodium albescens'' * '' Chenopodium album'' – white goosefoot, nickel greens, dungweed, ''bathua'', ''chandali'', ''chandaliya'', fat hen, lamb's quarters, pigweed ** ''Chenopodium album'' ssp. ''amaranticolor'' * '' Chenopodium allanii'' * ''

Chenopodium arizonicum ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' – Arizona goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium atrovirens ''Chenopodium atrovirens'' is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names pinyon goosefoot and dark goosefoot. Distribution It is native to western North America, including southern Western Canada and most of t ...

'' – dark goosefoot, pinyon goosefoot * '' Chenopodium aureum'' – golden goosefoot * '' Chenopodium auricomiforme'' * '' Chenopodium auricomum'' – Queensland bluebush * '' Chenopodium baccatum'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia baccata'') * '' Chenopodium benthamii'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia latifolia'') * ''

Chenopodium berlandieri ''Chenopodium berlandieri'', also known by the common names pitseed goosefoot, lamb's quarters (or lambsquarters), and ''huauzontle'' (Nahuatl) is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Amaranthaceae. The species is widespread in North Ameri ...

'' – pitseed goosefoot, southern huauzontle, lambsquarters ** ''Chenopodium berlandieri'' ssp. ''nuttalliae'' (Saff.) H.D.Wilson & Heiser ** ''Chenopodium berlandieri'' var. ''bushianum'' ** ''Chenopodium berlandieri'' var. ''zschackii'' * '' Chenopodium brandegeeae'' – Brandegee's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium bryoniifolium'' Bunge – Korean goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium bushianum ''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 classifica ...

'' – village goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium candolleanum ''Chenopodium candolleanum'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia candolleana''), commonly known as seaberry saltbush, is a shrub in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae (sensu lato), native to Australia. Description This species forms a de ...

'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia candolleana'') * ''

Chenopodium curvispicatum ''Chenopodium curvispicatum'' is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae, endemic to Australia. It is a shrub reaching 1 metre in height with triangular leaves covered in hairs. The inflorescences are drooping panicles with flowers th ...

'' * '' Chenopodium cycloides'' – sandhill goosefoot * '' Chenopodium desertorum'' – desert goosefoot ** ''Chenopodium desertorum'' ssp. ''anidiophyllum'' ** ''Chenopodium desertorum'' ssp. ''desertorum'' ** ''Chenopodium desertorum'' ssp. ''microphyllum'' ** ''Chenopodium desertorum'' ssp. ''rectum'' ** ''Chenopodium desertorum'' ssp. ''virosum'' * ''

Chenopodium desiccatum ''Chenopodium desiccatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common names aridland goosefoot and slimleaf goosefoot. It is native to parts of western North America, including sections of the Western Unite ...

'' – narrowleaf goosefoot * '' Chenopodium detestans'' – New Zealand fish-guts plant * ''

Chenopodium drummondii ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia drummondii'') * '' Chenopodium eastwoodiae'' – Eastwood's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium eremaea'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia eremaea'') * ''

Chenopodium erosum ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' R.Br. * '' Chenopodium ficifolium'' – fig-leaved goosefoot, small goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium flabellifolium ''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 classifica ...

'' – San Martin Island goosefoot, flabelliform goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium foggii ''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 classif ...

'' – Fogg's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium formosanum'' – red quinoa, djulis * ''

Chenopodium fremontii ''Chenopodium fremontii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common name Frémont's goosefoot. Both the species' specific epithet, and the common name derive from the 19th century western pioneer John C. Fr ...

'' – Fremont's goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium giganteum ''Chenopodium giganteum'', also known as tree spinach, is an annual, upright many-branched shrub with a stem diameter of up to 5 cm at the base, that can grow to a height of up to 3 m.Zhu, Gelin & Mosyakin, Sergei & E. Clemants, Steven. (200 ...

'' D.Don – tree spinach * '' Chenopodium gigantospermum'' * ''

Chenopodium hians ''Chenopodium hians'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common names hians goosefoot and gaping goosefoot. The Latin species name ''hians'' means "gaping". Distribution It is native to much of the western ...

'' * '' Chenopodium howellii'' – Howell's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium iljinii'' * ''

Chenopodium incanum ''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 classifica ...

'' – mealy goosefoot * '' Chenopodium incognitum'' * '' Chenopodium lenticulare'' * ''

Chenopodium leptophyllum ''Chenopodium leptophyllum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common name narrowleaf goosefoot. It is native to much of western North America, where it is reported from Alaska to Texas and northern Mexico, ...

'' – narrowleaf goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium lineatum ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' – Mono goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium littoreum ''Chenopodium littoreum'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is endemic to California, known only from sections of the coastline of central California, in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Taxo ...

'' – coastal goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium luteum ''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 classif ...

'' – yellow goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium missouriense ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' – Missouri goosefoot (sometimes considered a variety of ''C. album'') * ''

Chenopodium neomexicanum ''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 classifica ...

'' – New Mexico goosefoot * '' Chenopodium nevadense'' – Nevada goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium nitrariaceum ''Chenopodium nitrariaceum'', commonly known as the nitre goosefoot, is a shrub in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to i ...

'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth. – nitre goosefoot * '' Chenopodium nitens'' – shiny goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium nutans ''Chenopodium nutans'' (Syn ''Einadia nutans,'' ''Rhagodia nutans''), known by its common name of climbing saltbush or nodding saltbush, is a climbing groundcover native to Australia. Plants form a blanket on the surface, climbing over logs and ...

'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia nutans'') * ''

Chenopodium nuttalliae ''Chenopodium nuttalliae'' is a species of edible plant native to Mexico. It is known by the common names huauzontle (literally "hairy amaranth", from the Nahuatl ''huauhtli'' 'amaranth' and ''tzontli'' 'hair') and Aztec broccoli. Other variati ...

'' – huauzontle, chia roja, quelite * '' Chenopodium oahuense'' – ''Āheahea'' (

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

) * '' Chenopodium obscurum'' * ''

Chenopodium opulifolium ''Chenopodium opulifolium'', the seaport goosefoot, is a species of annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It ...

'' Schrad. ex W.D.J.Koch – grey goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium pallescens ''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 classif ...

'' – pallid goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium pallidicaule ''Chenopodium pallidicaule'', known as ''cañihua'', ''canihua'' or ''cañahua'' (from Quechua ''qañiwa, qañawa or qañawi'') and also kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related ''quinoa'' ''(Chenopo ...

'' – ''kañiwa'', "cañahua" * '' Chenopodium palmeri'' – Palmer's goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium pamiricum ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' * '' Chenopodium parabolicum'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia parabolica'') * '' Chenopodium parryi'' – Parry's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium petiolare'' * '' Chenopodium polygonoides'' * '' Chenopodium pratericola'' Rydb. – pale goosefoot, desert goosefoot, narrowleaf goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium preissii ''Chenopodium preissii'' is a plant in the Amaranthaceae family, native to Western Australia and South Australia. It was first described by Alfred Moquin-Tandon in 1849 as ''Rhagodia preissii'', and this is the name accepted by the Council of He ...

'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia preissii'') * ''

Chenopodium probstii ''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 classifica ...

'' Aellen * '' Chenopodium purpurascens'' – purple goosefoot * '' Chenopodium quinoa'' – quinoa * '' Chenopodium retusum'' * ''

Chenopodium robertianum ''Chenopodium robertianum'' (Syn. ''Einadia hastata,'' ''Rhagodia hastata''), known by the common name of saloop or berry saltbush is a small plant in the family Amaranthaceae. This species is found in coastal and inland areas of eastern Austra ...

'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia hastata'') * '' Chenopodium salinum'' – Rocky Mountain goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium sandersii ''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 classifica ...

'' – Sander's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium simpsonii'' – Simpson's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium sonorense'' – Sonoran goosefoot * '' Chenopodium spinescens'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia spinescens'') * ''

Chenopodium standleyanum ''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 classifica ...

'' – Standley's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium strictum'' Roth * ''

Chenopodium subglabrum ''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 classifi ...

'' – smooth arid goosefoot, smooth goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium suecicum ''Chenopodium suecicum'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes t ...

'' – green goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium triandrum ''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 classifica ...

'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia triandra'') * ''

Chenopodium trigonon ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual plant, annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae in the ...

'' (Syn.: ''Einadia trigonos'') * '' Chenopodium truncatum'' * ''

Chenopodium twisselmannii ''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 classifica ...

'' – Twisselmann's goosefoot, high meadow goosefoot * '' Chenopodium ulicinum'' * '' Chenopodium × variabile'' (''C. album × C. berlandieri'') * '' Chenopodium vulvaria'' – stinking goosefoot, notchweed * '' Chenopodium wahlii'' – Wahl's goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium watsonii ''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 classif ...

'' – Watson's goosefoot * '' Chenopodium wilsonii'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia crassifolia'')

Excluded species

* '' Blitum'' (12 species): ** ''

Blitum bonus-henricus ''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 which is na ...

'' – Good King Henry, perennial goosefoot, poor-man's asparagus, Lincolnshire spinach, markery ** '' Blitum californicum'' – California goosefoot, Indian lettuce ** '' Blitum capitatum'' – strawberry blite, blite goosefoot, strawberry goosefoot, strawberry spinach, Indian paint, Indian ink ** '' Blitum virgatum'' (Syn. ''Chenopodium foliosum'') – leafy goosefoot * '' Chenopodiastrum'' (5 species): ** ''

Chenopodiastrum murale ''Chenopodiastrum murale'', (Syn. ''Chenopodium murale'') is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common names nettle-leaved goosefoot, Australian-spinach, salt-green, and sowbane. This plant is native to Europe and parts o ...

'' – nettle-leaved goosefoot ** '' Chenopodiastrum simplex'' – giantseed goosefoot * '' Dysphania'' (about 43 glandular species, as ''C. botrys, C. carinatum, C. cristatum, C. melanocarpum, C. multifidium, C. pumilio'' and more) * ''

'' (one species): ** ''Lipandra polysperma'' – many-seeded goosefoot * '' Oxybasis'' (5 species): ** '' Oxybasis chenopodioides'' – small red goosefoot, saltmarsh goosefoot ** ''

Oxybasis glauca ''Oxybasis glauca'' (syn. ''Chenopodium glaucum''), common name oak-leaved goosefoot, is a species of goosefoot plant native to Europe. It has been introduced and become an invasive weed in North America. This invader of European origin also appe ...

'' – oak-leaved goosefoot ** '' Oxybasis rubra'' – red goosefoot, coastblite goosefoot ** ''

Oxybasis urbica ''Oxybasis urbica'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. Its native range is Europe to Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=� ...

'' – upright goosefoot * '' Teloxys'' (one species): ** ''Teloxys aristata'' * ''

Suaeda australis ''Suaeda australis'', the austral seablite, is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae, native to Australia. It grows to in height, with a spreading habit and branching occurring from the base. The leaves are up to 40 mm in length ...

'' – austral seablite (as ''C. australe, C. insulare'')

Fossil record

†''Chenopodium wetzleri'' fossil seeds of the

Chattian The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

stage,

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but t ...

, are known from the Oberleichtersbach Formation in the

Rhön Mountains The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or '' Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end ...

, central

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

.The floral change in the tertiary of the Rhön mountains (Germany) by Dieter Hans Mai - Acta Paleobotanica 47(1): 135-143, 2007.

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.'' Vol. 42, No. 1, 2012, p. 5-24. Gelin Zhu, Sergei L. Mosyakin & Steven E. Clemants
''Chenopodium'' - In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Hrsg.): Flora of China.
Volume 5: Ulmaceae through Basellaceae. Science Press/Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing/St. Louis 2003, , p. 378-.