Envoy at 05:45, 2 July 2007

2007-07-02T05:45:15Z

New page

:''"Fat hen" redirects here, "fat hen" may also refer to the version of the [[Federal Eagle]] in the [[Bundestag]].''

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Chenopodium album''
| image = Melganzenvoet bloeiwijze Chenopodium album.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Amaranthaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Chenopodium]]''
| binomial = ''Chenopodium album''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''''Chenopodium album''''' is a fast-growing, upright, [[weed]]y [[annual plant|annual]] plant that is common in temperate regions. It occurs almost everywhere in soils rich in [[nitrogen]], especially on wasteland.

The species is commonly known as [[goosefoot]], fat hen, white goosefoot, lamb's quarters or dungweed.

Its [[pollen]] can contribute to [[hayfever]]-like [[allergies]].

[[Image:Melganzenvoet bloemen Chenopodium album.jpg|thumb|left|close-up of flower and flower bud]]

==Description==

It tends to grow upright at first, reaching heights of 30-80 cm, but typically becomes recumbent after flowering (due to the weight of the foliage and seeds) unless supported by other [[plant]]s.

The [[Leaf|leaves]] are opposite and can be very varied in appearance. The first leaves, near the base of the plant, are toothed and roughly diamond-shaped, 3-7 cm long and 3-6 cm broad. The leaves on the upper part of the flowering stems are entire and lanceolate-rhomboid, 1-5 cm long and 0.4-2 cm broad. The leaves are waxy-coated, unwettable and mealy in appearance, with a whitish coat on the underside.

The small [[flower]]s are radially symmetrical and grow in small cymes on a dense branched [[inflorescence]] 10-40 cm long.

==Taxonomy==

''Chenopodium album'' has a very complex [[taxonomy]] and has been divided in numerous microspecies, subspecies and varieties, but it is difficult to differentiate between them. Published names and [[synonymy|synonyms]] include ''C. album'' var. ''microphyllum'', ''C. album'' var. ''missouriense'', ''C. album'' var. ''stevensii'', ''C. album'' subsp. ''striatum'', ''C. acerifolium, C. centrorubrum, C. giganteum, C. jenissejense, C. lanceolatum, C. pedunculare'' and ''C. probstii''. It also [[hybrid]]ises readily with several other ''Chenopodium'' species, including ''[[Chenopodium berlandieri|C. berlandieri]], C. ficifolium, C. opulifolium, C. strictum'' and ''C. suecicum''.

==Use==
===Food===

Lamb's quarters may be eaten as a [[vegetable]], either steamed in its entirety, or the leaves are cooked like [[spinach]] as a [[leaf vegetable]]. Each plant produces tens of thousands of black [[seed]]s. These are high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. [[Quinoa]] is a closely related species which is grown specifically for its seeds.

As the common names suggest, it is also used as food (both the leaves and the seeds) for [[chicken]]s, hens and other [[poultry]]. However, the nitrates in the plant can be converted very efficiently to nitrites in the [[rumen]] of cattle leading to changes in hemoglobin and reducing the ruminants' oxygen binding capacity.

==Cultivation==

The species is commonly regarded as a [[weed]] but it is cultivated as a grain or vegetable crop in some parts of the world.<ref name="prota">Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.</ref>

It may be controlled by frequent mowing.

===Propagation and pests===

''Chenopodium album'' is vulnerable to [[leaf miner]]s, making it a useful [[trap crop]] as a [[companion plant]]. Growing near other plants, it attracts leaf miners which might otherwise have attacked the crop to be protected. It is a host plant for the [[beet leafhopper]], an insect which transmits curly top virus to [[beet]] crops.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fdatabase.prota.org%2Fsearch.htm&TN=PROTAB~1&QB0=A
ND&QF0=Species+Code&QI0=Chenopodium+album&RF=Webdisplay PROTAbase on ''Chenopodium album'']

{{commons|Chenopodium album}}

[[Category:Amaranthaceae]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]

Chenopodium album - Revision history

Envoy at 05:45, 2 July 2007