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Chenopodium berlandieri - Moq.

Common Name Southern Huauzontle, Pitseed goosefoot, Nuttall's goosefoot, Bush's goosefoot, Zschack's goosefoot
Family Chenopodiaceae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].
Habitats Open soil[43]. Mud-flats at elevations of 10 - 200 metres in Texas and Mexico[270].
Range N. America - Florida to Texas and north to New Carolina and North Dakota.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (1 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Moist Soil Full sun
Chenopodium berlandieri Southern Huauzontle, Pitseed goosefoot, Nuttall


USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 2: 12.
Chenopodium berlandieri Southern Huauzontle, Pitseed goosefoot, Nuttall

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Chenopodium berlandieri is a ANNUAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft). It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves  Seed  Shoots
Edible Uses:

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked like spinach[85, 105, 106, 183]. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - ground into a powder and used with cereal flours for making bread or gruel[85, 177, 183]. The seed should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Dye

Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].

Special Uses

Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know how well it will grow in Britain, but it should succeed as a spring sown annual. According to some botanists this species is no more than a synonym for C. album[235] whilst 'World Economic Plants' treats it as a distinct species and includes C. nuttalliae (which is dealt with here as a distinct species) as a sub-species. It is viewed as a distinct, but very similar, species in the Flora of North and Central Texas[274]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade[1, 200]. It prefers a moderately fertile soil[200].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Aztec broccoli, Netseed lambsquarters, Bosc's goosefoot, Huauzontle, lamb's quarters, Southern Huauzontle, Pitseed goosefoot, Nuttall's goosefoot, Bush's goosefoot, Zschack's goosefoot

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Québec (south), British Columbia), United States (Alaska, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Alabama (south), Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah), Mexico (Baja California (Norte), Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Durango, Nuevo León, Sonora, Tamaulipas), Mexico (Campeche, Ciudad de México, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Tlaxcala, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

This plant can be weedy or invasive.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed. Other threatened and Endangered Information: Maine, USA. Bosc's goosefoot - Special Concern

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Chenopodium acuminatum Annual0.6 -  LMHNM201
Chenopodium albumFat Hen, LambsquartersAnnual0.9 0-0  LMHNM321
Chenopodium ambrosioidesMexican TeaAnnual/Perennial1.0 7-10  LMHNM233
Chenopodium ambrosioides anthelminticumWormseedAnnual/Perennial1.0 7-10  LMHNM232
Chenopodium auricomumQueensland BluebushAnnual1.8 -  LMHNM201
Chenopodium bonus-henricusGood King HenryPerennial0.3 4-8  LMHNM421
Chenopodium botrysJerusalem Oak, Jerusalem oak goosefootAnnual0.6 0-0  LMHNM222
Chenopodium bushianumBush's goosefootAnnual0.6 0-0  LMHNM201
Chenopodium californicumCalifornia GoosefootAnnual0.6 -  LMHNDM212
Chenopodium canihua Annual0.0 -  LMHNM201
Chenopodium capitatumStrawberry Blite, Blite goosefootAnnual0.6 4-8  LMHNM311
Chenopodium cristatumCrested GoosefootAnnual0.6 -  LMHNM211
Chenopodium ficifoliumFig-Leaved GoosefootAnnual0.9 4-8  LMHNM201
Chenopodium foliosumLeafy goosefootAnnual0.6 4-8  LMHNM301
Chenopodium fremontiiGoosefoot, Fremont's goosefoot, Pringle's goosefootAnnual0.6 0-0  LMHNM201
Chenopodium giganteumTree SpinachAnnual2.4 4-8  LMHNM302
Chenopodium glaucumOak-Leaved GoosefootAnnual0.3 -  LMHNM201
Chenopodium graveolensFoetid GoosefootAnnual0.9 -  LMHNM211
Chenopodium hybridum Annual1.5 -  LMHNM211
Chenopodium incanumMealy GoosefootAnnual0.5 -  LMHNM201
Chenopodium leptophyllumNarrow Leaved GoosefootAnnual0.6 0-0  LMHNM201
Chenopodium muraleNettleleaf GoosefootAnnual0.6 0-0  LMHNM201
Chenopodium nuttalliaeHuauzontle, Nuttall's goosefootAnnual0.6 0-0  LMHNM401
Chenopodium opulifoliumSeaport goosefootAnnual0.8 0-0  LMHSNM201
Chenopodium overiOver's goosefootAnnual0.8 0-0  LMHNM201
Chenopodium pallidicauleCañihuaAnnual0.6 -  LMHNDM301
Chenopodium polyspermumAll-Seed, Manyseed goosefootAnnual0.9 0-0  LMHNM201
Chenopodium pratericolaDesert GoosefootAnnual1.0 -  LMHNM201
Chenopodium quinoaQuinoa, Goosefoot, Pigweed, Inca WheatAnnual1.5 10-12 FLMHNM502
12

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

Moq.

Botanical References

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