''Chenopodiastrum murale'',
[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. 14.] (Syn. ''Chenopodium murale'') is a species of 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''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, maki ...
known by the common names nettle-leaved goosefoot,
Australian-spinach, salt-green, and sowbane.
This plant is native to Europe and parts of Asia and northern Africa, but it is widespread worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas due to the ease of it being
introduced.
It is a common weed of fields and roadsides.
Description
This is an annual herb reaching 70 centimeters in height with an erect stem which is usually red or red-streaked green and leafy with green foliage. The oval to triangular leaves are toothed and broad, smooth on the upper surface and powdery on the undersides.
The
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s are powdery clusters of spherical buds. The buds do not open into typical flower blossoms but remain with the
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
s covering the
ovary
The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...
as the fruit develops.
Uses
The seeds are edible, and the shoots, stalks, and leaves can be eaten as
greens. The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names include "Australian Spinach" and "Fat-hen". It also states that it is a "pot-herb", which may be utilised in the same manner as spinach. It is called ''oñk i:waki'' in
Oʼodham, 'salt greens'. Although an
introduced plant, it has become a summer green commonly collected from the wild -one of the hottest and more arid areas of North America.
Care should be taken not to confuse this species with
black nightshades, many of which look similar when young. The leaves of ''Chenopodium murale'' have a white mealy texture, and the axils have a red streak.
References
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External links
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''Chenopodiastrum murale''at Tropicos
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North America TreatmentPhoto gallery
Chenopodioideae
Flora of Europe
Edible nuts and seeds
Leaf vegetables
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Amaranthaceae-stub