Lambsquarter
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| Lambsquarter | ||||||||||||||
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Chenopodium album |
Lambsquarter, also called white goosefoot, lamb's quarters, fat hen, or pigweed, is a fast-growing, upright, weedy annual variety of the goosefoot, very common in temperate regions, growing almost everywhere in soils rich in nitrogen, especially on wasteland. Its pollen can contribute to hayfever-like allergies. Frequent mowing usually controls the weed as it tends to grow upright.
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Description
The opposite leaves can be very varied in appearance. The first leaves are somewhat toothed and roughly diamond-shaped. The later leaves are entire and lanceolate-rhomboid, growing in numerous branches. These are unwettable and mealy in appearance, with a whitish coat on the underside.
The tiny flowers are radially symmetrical and grow in small cymes, which then form a branched inflorescence.
Varieties
This species can be divided in several varieties, but it is difficult to differentiate between them.
- Chenopodium album var. album : Common Lambsquarters, Lambsquarters, White Goosefoot
- Chenopodium album var. microphyllum : Common Lambsquarters, Lambsquarters, White Goosefoot
- Chenopodium album var. missouriense : Common Lambsquarters, Lambsquarters, Missouri Goosefoot, Missouri Lambsquarters, White Goosefoot
- Chenopodium album var. stevensii : Common Lambsquarters, Lamb’s-quarters, Lambsquarters, Stevens' Lambsquarters, White Goosefoot
- Chenopodium album var. striatum : Common Lambsquarters, Lambsquarters, Lateflowering Goosefoot, White Goosefoot
Chenopodiumalbum2web.jpg
Agricultural impact
This weed can be a host to the beet leafhopper, an insect which transmits curly top virus to beets.
Uses
Lambsquarter can be eaten as a vegetable, either steamed in entirety, or the leaves cooked like spinach as a leaf vegetable. Each plant produces tens of thousands of black seeds. These are very nutritious: high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Quinoa is a closely related species grown specifically for its seeds.