''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 n ...

of numerous

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

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 wide ...

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), ...

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 ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

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 The Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in a series of monographs and texts, including ''The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants'' (1968; 2nd edition, 1988) ...

, separate it and its relatives as

Chenopodiaceae 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 it ...

, but this leaves the rest of the Amaranthaceae

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

. However, among the Amaranthaceae, the genus ''Chenopodium'' is the namesake member of the subfamily Chenopodioideae.

Description

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

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 ...

. 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 physi ...

. 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 pla ...

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 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 formed ...

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 i ...

(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 Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistils' ...

. 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 ca ...

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 Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Ag ...

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 vegetable 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 ...

s – 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 eith ...

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

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

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 pro ...

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, a ...

(''C. quinoa''). On the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

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, Cypru ...

, 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 Bruce D. Smith (born 1946) is an American archaeologist and curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History who primarily focuses on the interaction of humans with their environment, especially the origins of agricultu ...

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 ...

and others, goosefoots have a history of culinary use dating back to 4000 BC or earlier, when

pitseed goosefoot ''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 ...

(''C. berlandieri'') was a staple crop in the Native American

Eastern Agricultural Complex The Eastern Agricultural Complex in the woodlands of eastern North America was one of about 10 independent centers of plant domestication in the pre-historic world. Incipient agriculture dates back to about 5300 BCE. By about 1800 BCE the Native ...

, and white goosefoot was apparently used by the

Ertebølle culture The Ertebølle culture (ca 5300 BCE – 3950 BCE) () is the name of a hunter-gatherer and fisher, pottery-making culture dating to the end of the Mesolithic period. The culture was concentrated in Southern Scandinavia. It is named after th ...

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 enti ...

. Members of the eastern

Yamnaya culture The Yamnaya culture or the Yamna culture (russian: Ямная культура, ua, Ямна культура lit. 'culture of pits'), also known as the Pit Grave culture or Ochre Grave culture, was a late Copper Age to early Bronze Age arch ...

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 A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a nutritional plan that strictly excludes gluten, which is a mixture of proteins found in wheat (and all of its species and hybrids, such as spelt, kamut, and triticale), as well as barley, rye, and oats. The inclu ...

Quinoa oil 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, an ...

, 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 margarin ...

. Oil of chenopodium is extracted from the seeds of

epazote ''Dysphania ambrosioides'', formerly ''Chenopodium ambrosioides'', known as Jesuit's tea, Mexican-tea, ''payqu'' ''(paico)'', ''epazote'', ''mastruz'', or ''herba sanctæ Mariæ'', is an annual or short-lived perennial herb native to Central A ...

, which is not in this genus anymore.

Shagreen Shagreen is a type of rawhide consisting of rough untanned skin, historically from a horse's or onager's back, or from shark or ray. Etymology The word derives from the French ''chagrin'' and is related to Italian ''zigrino'' and Venetian ...

leather was produced in the past using the small, hard goosefoot seeds. ''C. album'' was one of the main model organisms 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 ter ...

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 ...

. 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 lak ...

. Many goosefoot species are thus significant

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. ...

s, 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 Chualar (Spanish for "Pigweed grove") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California, United States. Chualar is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of . The popula ...

is named after a

Native American Native Americans or Native American may refer to: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North and South America and their descendants * Native Americans in the United States * Indigenous peoples in Cana ...

term for a goosefoot abundant in the region, probably the

California goosefoot ''Blitum californicum'' (syn. ''Chenopodium californicum'') is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names California goosefoot and (ambiguously) "Indian lettuce". It is native to California and Baja California ...

(''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 larva, larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterfly, butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawfly ...

s of certain Lepidoptera. 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 The yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family that is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Most European birds remain in the breeding range year-round, but the eastern ...

(''Emberiza citrinella'') of Europe or the

white-winged fairy-wren The white-winged fairywren (''Malurus leucopterus'') is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It lives in the drier parts of Central Australia; from central Queensland and South Australia across to Western Aus ...

(''Malurus leucopterus'') of Australia. Goosefoot

pathogens In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...

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 ...

apple stem grooving virus Apple stem grooving virus is a plant pathogenic virus of the family ''Betaflexiviridae ''Betaflexiviridae'' is a family of viruses in the order ''Tymovirales''. Plants and fungi serve as natural hosts. There are 108 species in this family, a ...

sowbane mosaic virus ''Sowbane mosaic virus'' (SoMV) is a pathogenic plant virus Plant viruses are viruses that affect plants. Like all other viruses, plant viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular machinery to replicate withou ...

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, Frenc ...

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 ''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- ...

''. This generic name is derived from the particular shape of the leaf, which is similar to a goose's foot: from

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

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

) and ''

Teloxys ''Teloxys'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. Its native range is Eastern Europe to Temperate Asia. Species: * ''Teloxys aristata'' (L.) Moq. References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9085638 Chenopodioideae Amar ...

'' in tribe Dysphanieae. Fuentes-Bazan et al. (2012) separated many species to genera ''

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 ''Sc ...

'' (in tribe Anserineae), ''

Chenopodiastrum ''Chenopodiastrum'' is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus was formally described in 2012. The 5 species occur in Eurasia, North Africa, and North America. Description The species in genus ''Chenopod ...

'', ''

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 p ...

'', and ''

Oxybasis ''Oxybasis'' is a flowering plant genus from the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It was first described in 1841, and newly used since 2012 for five species that were traditionally grouped into genus ''Chenopodium''. They o ...

'' (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. Distribu ...

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

Selected species

MagentaSpreen Chenopodium giganteum EdibleOffice

* '' Chenopodium acicularis'' * ''

Chenopodium acuminatum ''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 ...

'' Willd. * ''

Chenopodium albescens ''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 ...

'' * ''

'' – 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 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 ...

'' – 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'' 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 ...

'' * ''

Chenopodium auricomum ''Chenopodium auricomum'', the Queensland bluebush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus' ...

'' – Queensland bluebush * '' Chenopodium baccatum'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia baccata'') * ''

Chenopodium benthamii ''Chenopodium benthamii'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia latifolia'') is a species of shrub endemic to midwest Western Australia. Description It grows as a shrub from 40 centimetres to two metres high, leathery, elliptical leaves, and panicles of green flower ...

'' (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 plant, annual herbaceous plant in the family Amaranthaceae. The species is widespread i ...

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

Chenopodium brandegeeae ''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 ...

'' – 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 tha ...

'' * '' 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 Unit ...

'' – narrowleaf goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium detestans ''Chenopodium detestans'', commonly known as the New Zealand fish-guts plant, is an endangered species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae. References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15586462 Chenopodium, detestans Flora of New Zealand ...

'' – New Zealand fish-guts plant * ''

Chenopodium drummondii ''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 drummondii'') * ''

Chenopodium eastwoodiae ''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 cl ...

'' – Eastwood's goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium eremaea ''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 eremaea'') * ''

Chenopodium erosum ''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 ...

'' R.Br. * ''

Chenopodium ficifolium ''Chenopodium ficifolium'', the fig-leaved goosefoot or figleaf goosefoot, is a plant species in the family Amaranthaceae originally native to the Irano-Turanian floristic region. It an archaeophyte An archaeophyte is a plant species which is ...

'' – fig-leaved goosefoot, small goosefoot * '' Chenopodium flabellifolium'' – 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 classifica ...

'' – Fogg's goosefoot * ''

Chenopodium formosanum ''Chenopodium formosanum'' is a '' Chenopodium'' species native to Taiwan. It was a key component of the diets of Taiwanese indigenous peoples and remains culturally and culinarily significant. Common names ''Chenopodium formosanum'' is known in ...

'' – 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. (20 ...

'' D.Don – tree spinach * ''

Chenopodium gigantospermum ''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 ...

'' * ''

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 ''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 ...

'' – Howell's goosefoot * ''Chenopodium iljinii'' * ''Chenopodium incanum'' – mealy goosefoot * ''Chenopodium incognitum'' * ''Chenopodium lenticulare'' * ''Chenopodium leptophyllum'' – narrowleaf goosefoot * ''Chenopodium lineatum'' – Mono goosefoot * ''Chenopodium littoreum'' – coastal goosefoot * ''Chenopodium luteum'' – yellow goosefoot * ''Chenopodium missouriense'' – Missouri goosefoot (sometimes considered a variety (botany), variety of ''C. album'') * ''Chenopodium neomexicanum'' – New Mexico goosefoot * ''Chenopodium nevadense'' – Nevada goosefoot * ''Chenopodium nitrariaceum'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth. – nitre goosefoot * ''Chenopodium nitens'' – shiny goosefoot * ''Chenopodium nutans'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia nutans'') * ''Chenopodium nuttalliae'' – huauzontle, chia roja, quelite * ''Chenopodium oahuense'' – ''Āheahea'' (Hawaii, Hawaii) * ''Chenopodium obscurum'' * ''Chenopodium opulifolium'' Schrad. ex W.D.J.Koch – grey goosefoot * ''Chenopodium pallescens'' – pallid goosefoot * ''Chenopodium pallidicaule'' – ''kañiwa'', "cañahua" * ''Chenopodium palmeri'' – Palmer's goosefoot * ''Chenopodium pamiricum'' * ''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'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia preissii'') * ''Chenopodium probstii'' Aellen * ''Chenopodium purpurascens'' – purple goosefoot * ''Chenopodium quinoa'' – quinoa * ''Chenopodium retusum'' * ''Chenopodium robertianum'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia hastata'') * ''Chenopodium salinum'' – Rocky Mountain goosefoot * ''Chenopodium sandersii'' – Sander's goosefoot * ''Chenopodium simpsonii'' – Simpson's goosefoot * ''Chenopodium sonorense'' – Sonoran goosefoot * ''Chenopodium spinescens'' (Syn. ''Rhagodia spinescens'') * ''Chenopodium standleyanum'' – Standley's goosefoot * ''Chenopodium strictum'' Roth * ''Chenopodium subglabrum'' – smooth arid goosefoot, smooth goosefoot * ''Chenopodium suecicum'' – green goosefoot * ''Chenopodium triandrum'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia triandra'') * ''Chenopodium trigonon'' (Syn.: ''Einadia trigonos'') * ''Chenopodium truncatum'' * ''Chenopodium twisselmannii'' – 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'' – Watson's goosefoot * ''Chenopodium wilsonii'' (Syn.: ''Rhagodia crassifolia'')

Excluded species

* ''

'' (12 species): ** ''Blitum bonus-henricus'' – 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 * ''

'' (5 species): ** ''Chenopodiastrum murale'' – 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 * ''

'' (5 species): ** ''Oxybasis chenopodioides'' – small red goosefoot, saltmarsh goosefoot ** ''Oxybasis glauca'' – oak-leaved goosefoot ** ''Oxybasis rubra'' – red goosefoot, coastblite goosefoot ** ''Oxybasis urbica'' – upright goosefoot * ''

Teloxys ''Teloxys'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. Its native range is Eastern Europe to Temperate Asia. Species: * ''Teloxys aristata'' (L.) Moq. References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9085638 Chenopodioideae Amar ...

'' (one species): ** ''Teloxys aristata'' * ''Suaeda australis'' – austral seablite (as ''C. australe, C. insulare'')

Fossil record

†''Chenopodium wetzleri'' fossil seeds of the Chattian stage, Oligocene, are known from the Oberleichtersbach Formation in the Rhön Mountains, central Germany.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-.

Description

Uses and human importance

Ecology

Systematics

Selected species

Excluded species

Fossil record

References

Further reading