Family:
Amaranthaceae Juss.

Chenopodium L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Cosmopolitan.

[FZ]

Chenopodiaceae, J. P. M. Brenan. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Morphology General Habit
Mostly annual or perennial herbs, glabrous, pubescent, glandular or mealy with vesicular hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves membranous to more or less fleshy, entire, toothed, or pinnately divided, alternate, mostly petiolate, normally broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers mostly in cymose clusters (“glomerules”) variously arranged but often paniculate and mixed, without bracteoles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth of both sorts of flower normally (3) 4–5 lobed, unaltered or nearly so in fruit, or sometimes becoming fleshy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 1–5.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2 (5).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit with a membranous indehiscent pericarp.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Embryo annular. Seeds “horizontal” (vertically compressed) or, less commonly, “vertical” (horizontally compressed), testa normally thin, hard and brittle. Endosperm present.

[FTEA]

Chenopodiaceae, J. P. M. Brenan. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1954

Morphology General Habit
Mostly annual or perennial herbs, glabrous, pubescent, glandular or mealy with vesicular hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, mostly petiolate, normally broad
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers mostly in cymose clusters (“glomerules”) variously arranged, ⚥ and ♀ mixed, without bracteoles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx of both sorts of flower normally (3–) 4–5-lobed, unaltered or nearly so in fruit, or sometimes becoming fleshy
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 1–5
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits with membranous indehiscent pericarp
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Endosperm present Embryo annular Seeds “horizontal” (vertically compressed) or, less commonly, “vertical” (horizontally compressed); testa normally thin, hard and brittle
Note
Weeds of cultivated areas and waste lands around human habitations.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herbs, often weedy; pubescent, glandular or mealy with white vesicular hairs or ± glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, mostly broad and petiolate, not obviously succulent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences basically cymose, variously arranged, sometimes condensed into clusters, bisexual and female flowers mixed, bracteoles absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers (3–)4–5-merous, perianth deeply divided, perianth segments sometimes longitudinally keeled, rarely becoming fleshy in fruit; stamens 1–5; stigmas usually 2, slender
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a very thin-walled utricle, pericarp closely adhering to seed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed discoid, horizontal or vertical within fruit; testa brittle, minutely ornamented; embryo annular, endosperm present.
Note
Many species are variable and difficult to separate from allied taxa. This is reflected in the complex infraspecific taxonomy of many of the more widespread species, but is seem likely that at least part of this owes more to phenotypic plasticity than differences in genotypes. Identification is often dependent on seed characters, especially the microscopic ornamentation of the testa. Vegetative characters are very plastic and are often difficult to use. A difficult genus variously estimated to include from “over 70” to “perhaps 250” species, almost all weeds, some of which are subcosmopolitan.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Burundi, Buryatiya, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Central European Rus, Chad, Chatham Is., Chile Central, Chile North, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, Desventurados Is., District of Columbia, Djibouti, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Florida, France, Free State, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Gulf States, Hainan, Hawaii, Honduras, Hungary, Idaho, Illinois, India, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Juan Fernández Is., Kamchatka, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Kermadec Is., Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Kuril Is., Kuwait, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Leeward Is., Lesotho, Libya, Louisiana, Madeira, Magadan, Maine, Malawi, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Nova Scotia, Ogasawara-shoto, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oman, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Qinghai, Queensland, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Rwanda, Sakhalin, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Somalia, South Australia, South Carolina, South China Sea, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, St.Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Utah, Uzbekistan, Vermont, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Western Australia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Yukon, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Antipodean Is., Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cambodia, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Finland, Føroyar, Gulf of Guinea Is., Iceland, Jawa, Labrador, Marianas, Mauritania, Mauritius, New Brunswick, New Caledonia, Newfoundland, Norfolk Is., Norway, Nunavut, Réunion, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Trinidad-Tobago, Tristan da Cunha

Chenopodium L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
s.coll. [Cat. no. 7440] K001127341 Yes
Krapovickas, A. [37116], Brazil K001207018 Yes
Secco, R.S. [115], Brazil K001207017 Yes
Krapovickas, A. [37705], Brazil K001207019 Yes

First published in Sp. Pl.: 219 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • —F.T.A. 6, 1: 77.

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 103 (1754).

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by I. Friis & M. G. Gilbert [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Gen. PL, ed. 5, 103 (1754)

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0