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Chenopodium pratericola
| Common name: |
Desert Goosefoot |
Family: |
Chenopodiaceae |
| Author: |
Rydb. |
Botanical references: |
17, 274 |
| Synonyms: |
Chenopodium leptophyllom (auct. non Nutt.), Chenopodium desiccatum leptophylloides ((J. Murr) H.A. Wahl.) |
| 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]. |
| Range: |
N. America. A casual in Britain[17]. |
| Habitat: |
Stream banks, disturbed soils and sandy soils[274]. A casual on rubbish tips and near buildings and docks in Britain[17]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 0 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| C. albescens[B]
C. album var. leptophyllum[B,P]
C. desiccatum var. leptophylloides[B,P]
C. leptophyllum[B,C,CAL,G,HORTIPLEX,P]
C. pratericola ssp. eupratericola[B,P]
C. pratericola var. leptophylloides[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Desert Goosefoot [P,B], Narrow-leaf Goosefoot [B], Narrowleaf Goosefoot [P], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
ater = black;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Caryophyllales. Goosefoot family
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 1m. . It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
0/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Edible Uses
Leaves and young shoots - cooked and eaten like spinach[257].
Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a powder and mixed with wheat or other
cereals in making bread etc. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be
soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to
remove any saponins.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
None known
Other Uses
Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].
Cultivation details
We have very little information on this species, though it is a casual
on rubbish tips here and should succeed as a spring sown annual. 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].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a
few days of sowing.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
References for Chenopodium leptophyllum (a possible synonym).
References for the family Chenopodiaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Chenopodium+pratericola
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Chenopodium+pratericola
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