Blitum virgatum

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Blitum virgatum
Chenopodium foliosum.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Blitum
Species:
B. virgatum
Binomial name
Blitum virgatum
L.
Synonyms
  • Chenopodium capitatum var. parvicapitatumWelsh
  • Chenopodium foliosumAsch.
  • Chenopodium virgatum(L.) Ambrosi (non Thunb.)
  • Morocarpus foliosusMoench

Blitum virgatum, [1] (syn. Chenopodium foliosum) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common name leafy goosefoot. It is native to Eurasia. It can be found on other continents as an introduced species, growing as a minor weed in disturbed habitats and cultivated land.

Contents

Description

This is an erect annual herb growing to a maximum height just over half a meter. The leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long and may be toothed or smooth-edged. The inflorescences are small spherical clusters of tiny reddish-green flowers wrapped around fruits which are about a millimeter wide.

Uses

The leaves and inflorescences are edible and resemble spinach; the plant was grown as a leaf vegetable in Europe in former times, and there is some recent interest in its cultivation again.

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<i>Blitum californicum</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Chenopodium atrovirens</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Oxybasis chenopodioides</i> Species of plant

Oxybasis chenopodioides is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common name saltmarsh goosefoot. It is native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa, where it grows on bare mud in brackish hollows in coastal grassland, inland salt steppes and salty deserts. It has spread to similar habitats in both North and South America. Its habitat is an uncommon one and is threatened by agricultural improvement in many areas, but overall its populations are stable. This species often grows with, and is easily confused with the closely-related red goosefoot.

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<i>Spinacia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the amaranth family Amaranthaceae

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References

  1. 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 42, 2012, p. 17.