The plants which form the genus Chenopodium, of the order Chenopodiaceæ, are essentially plants of the wayside and waste ground, and of these we shall have to note several species. Most of them are distinguished by the dusty mealiness of their leaves, though a few do not possess this feature. In general they are characterised by alternate, flat leaves; and small, green flowers in little sessile clusters, forming spikes in the axils of the upper leaves. The little flowers usually have a perianth of five segments which more or less enclose the fruit; also five stamens, and two or three styles. The following summary of the characters of these plants will enable the reader to identify them:—
1. Stinking Goose-foot (Chenopodium olidum or C. Vulvaria.)—A procumbent or spreading plant, with a granular, mealy surface and a nauseous odour resembling that of stale fish, especially when rubbed or bruised. Stems from six inches to a foot or more in length, and much branched. Leaves stalked, small, ovate, and entire. Flowers in dense, leafless, axillary and terminal spikes which are shorter than the leaves. Moderately common in many parts, especially in the eastern counties. Time of flowering—August and September.
The White Goose-Foot.
2. Many-seeded Goose-foot (C. polyspermum).—A procumbent or erect, spreading plant, without mealiness or nauseous odour. Stem much branched. Leaves ovate or elliptical, entire, green, less than two inches long. Flowers in axillary and terminal, leafless spikes, with a calyx that does not cover the fruit. Common in parts of England, flowering during August and September.
3. Upright Goose-foot (C. urbicum).—An erect plant, with a stout stem and few branches. Leaves green on both sides. Lower leaves on long stalks, broad, ovate or triangular, with bases narrowed towards the stalk in such a manner as to approach a rhomboidal form, two or three inches long, and irregularly toothed or lobed. Upper leaves narrower, nearly entire, and acute. Flowers in small, dense clusters, forming rather long, erect spikes. The green perianth does not completely cover the fruit. Common on roadsides and waste ground, flowering in August and September.
4. White Goose-foot (C. album).—A very common plant, varying in colour from a pale green to a mealy white. Stem stout, erect, from one to three feet high. Lower leaves stalked, ovate or rhomboid, more or less toothed or angular, but entire at the base. Upper leaves lanceolate, entire. Spikes of flowers irregularly clustered, leafy, and usually branched; the upper ones forming a long panicle, intermixed with the upper leaves. Perianth entirely covering the fruit.
5. Fig-leaved Goose-foot (C. ficifolium).—by some regarded as a distinct species, but by others included among the varieties of C. album. It closely resembles the latter in general appearance, but its lower leaves are divided into three unequal lobes, and are somewhat spear-shaped.
6. Red Goose-foot (C. rubrum).—An erect plant, from one to three feet high, with smooth, triangular, irregularly-toothed leaves, resembling those of the Upright Goose-foot. The spikes, also, closely resemble those of the same plant, but the flowers have generally only two or three segments to the perianth, and these often turn red as the fruit ripens. The flowers appear during August and September. This species is moderately common in most parts, and especially near the sea, where it may be seen growing on the shingle very close to the water's edge.
7. Mercury Goose-foot, Allgood, or Good King Henry (C. Bonus-Henricus).—An erect plant, from one to three feet high, growing from a thick, fleshy root like that of the Dock. Leaves stalked, triangular, acute, wavy or toothed, of a dark green colour. Upper leaves smaller, and almost sessile. Flowers in clustered, compound spikes, forming a terminal panicle, leafy below. Fruit completely enclosed in the perianth. This plant was formerly cultivated as a potherb, and is now commonly found on waste ground near villages. Time of flowering—June to August.