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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Good King Henry
| image = Illustration Chenopodium bonus-henricus0.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Amaranthaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Chenopodium]]''
| species = '''''C. bonus-henricus'''''
| binomial = ''Chenopodium bonus-henricus''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''Good King Henry''' (''Chenopodium bonus-henricus''), also called '''poor-man's asparagus''', '''Lincolnshire Spinach'''{{Fact|date=May 2007}} is a species of [[goosefoot]] which is native to much of central and southern [[Europe]].
It is an [[annual plant|annual]] or [[perennial plant]] growing up to 40–80 cm high. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 5-10 cm long and broad, triangular to diamond-shaped, with a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base, with a slightly waxy, succulent texture. The [[flower]]s are produced in a tall, nearly leafless spike 10–30 cm long; each flower is very small (3–5 mm diameter), green, with five sepals. The [[seed]]s are reddish-green, 2–3 mm diameter.
==Cultivation and uses==
Good King Henry has been grown as a [[vegetable]] in cottage [[garden]]s for hundreds of years, although this dual-purpose vegetable is now rarely grown and the species is more often considered a [[weed]].
It should be planted in a fertile, sunny spot which is free from perennial [[weed]]s. Seeds should be sown in April in drills 1 cm deep and 50 cm apart. The [[seedling]]s should then be thinned to 10–20 cm. Good King Henry does not respond well to [[transplantation]].
Typically, very little is produced in the first season. The plants should be regularly [[weed]]ed and well watered. Harvesting should be moderate, with just a few leaves at a time collected from each plant.
The [[foliage]] can be cut in autumn, and a mulch, such as [[leaf mould]] or well-rotted [[compost]] applied to the plot. Cropping can begin in spring. Some of the new shoots can be cut as they appear (usually from mid spring to early summer) and cooked like [[asparagus]]. All cutting should then cease so that [[shoot]]s are be allowed to develop. The succulent triangular leaves are picked a few at a time until the end of August and cooked like [[spinach]].
[[Category:Amaranthaceae]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Stem vegetables]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = Good King Henry
| image = Illustration Chenopodium bonus-henricus0.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Amaranthaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Chenopodium]]''
| species = '''''C. bonus-henricus'''''
| binomial = ''Chenopodium bonus-henricus''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''Good King Henry''' (''Chenopodium bonus-henricus''), also called '''poor-man's asparagus''', '''Lincolnshire Spinach'''{{Fact|date=May 2007}} is a species of [[goosefoot]] which is native to much of central and southern [[Europe]].
It is an [[annual plant|annual]] or [[perennial plant]] growing up to 40–80 cm high. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 5-10 cm long and broad, triangular to diamond-shaped, with a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base, with a slightly waxy, succulent texture. The [[flower]]s are produced in a tall, nearly leafless spike 10–30 cm long; each flower is very small (3–5 mm diameter), green, with five sepals. The [[seed]]s are reddish-green, 2–3 mm diameter.
==Cultivation and uses==
Good King Henry has been grown as a [[vegetable]] in cottage [[garden]]s for hundreds of years, although this dual-purpose vegetable is now rarely grown and the species is more often considered a [[weed]].
It should be planted in a fertile, sunny spot which is free from perennial [[weed]]s. Seeds should be sown in April in drills 1 cm deep and 50 cm apart. The [[seedling]]s should then be thinned to 10–20 cm. Good King Henry does not respond well to [[transplantation]].
Typically, very little is produced in the first season. The plants should be regularly [[weed]]ed and well watered. Harvesting should be moderate, with just a few leaves at a time collected from each plant.
The [[foliage]] can be cut in autumn, and a mulch, such as [[leaf mould]] or well-rotted [[compost]] applied to the plot. Cropping can begin in spring. Some of the new shoots can be cut as they appear (usually from mid spring to early summer) and cooked like [[asparagus]]. All cutting should then cease so that [[shoot]]s are be allowed to develop. The succulent triangular leaves are picked a few at a time until the end of August and cooked like [[spinach]].
[[Category:Amaranthaceae]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Stem vegetables]]
