Chenopodium album
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ken-oh-POH-dee-um AL-bum
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Goosefoot is a highly adaptable and nutritious summer annual edible in the Amaranthaceae (buckwheat) family. This common name comes from the shape of the leaves resembling a goose's foot. In its native habitat of Europe and Asia it is found growing in waste sites, farm land, or riparian wetland habitats and is often one of the first weeds to appear on newly disturbed soils.
This plant prefers full sun and moist fertile loamy soils though it tolerates partial shade and a range of soil types. Plants grown in more fertile soils have a more palatable taste and are a nutritious weed if enjoyed in moderation. Each plant produces large amounts of seed that allow this plant to become aggressive in the landscape. Pulling up seedlings before they set seed or mowing over plants before they produce seed are two management options.
Goosefoot grows rapidly, spreading greenish-blue to gray leaves anywhere from 4 inches to 6 feet tall and 4 to 12 inches wide, depending on the nutrient level of the soil. It is covered with soft wooly hairs so it has a velvety feel. The flowers are not very showy and are pollinated by the wind.
Though edible, the plant’s parts are not particularly palatable and are mildly toxic when consumed raw; cook, steam, and/or freeze before consuming. Better yet, plant it in naturalized areas to feed wildlife. It attracts butterflies, moths, small mammals, and songbirds.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It can be quite weedy in disturbed areas and the seeds can remain viable in the soil for many years. Pulling up seedlings before they set seed or mowing over plants before they produce seed are two management options. See Clemson's publication on broadleaf weeds.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Chenopodium
- Species:
- album
- Family:
- Amaranthaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans have made a flour from the dried seeds.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eurasia
- Wildlife Value:
- The leaves are a food source for many caterpillars including the skippers Staphylus hayhurstii (Hayhurst's Scallopwing) and Pholisora catullus (Common Sootywing), and moths Grammia virgo (Virgin Tiger Moth), Emmelina monodactyla (Morning Glory Plume Moth), Amyna octo (The Eight-Spot), Chrysoesthia lingulacella (Flamboyent Twirler Moth), and Scythris limbella (Chenopodium Scythris Moth), beetles, grasshoppers, mammals, and songbirds especially sparrows.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Edibility:
- Seeds, leaves, shoots, and flowers can be edible to an extent though they are not particularly palatable. However, the plant has saponins and oxalic acid so cook, steam, and/or freeze before consuming parts of this plant.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Weed
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Multi-stemmed
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Copious amounts (50,000 or more) are extremely tiny almost rounded seeds that are black, green, or brown.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Pink
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Panicle
- Spike
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- In (generally) terminal clusters mid-summer through fall and are pollinated by the wind. Flowers can be very light green or pink panicles of spikes. Individual flowers are 1/10" wide with no petals 5 stamens with yellow anthers and the panciles can be up to 8" long but are usually smaller.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Pink
- Leaf Feel:
- Soft
- Velvety
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Deltoid
- Lanceolate
- Linear
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Serrate
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- There are two types of leaves on this plant– oppositely arranged cotyledons and true, alternate leaves. They are 5" long , goose foot-shaped (though other shapes are possible too such as triangular, ovate, lanceolate, or even linear), and smooth-margined with some teeth along the edge or undulate lobed. Leaves are green, sometimes with tints of pink or purple along the margins, and a white mealy coating produced by tiny hairs on the leaves. The hairs are denser on the underside of the leaves, making it appear lighter in color. As the leaves mature, the white hairs become more sparse. The petioles are about half the length of the leaves.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Angular
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- As a seedling, part of the stem comes in light colors of green, red, purple, or tan and is smooth as well as striated (meaning there are lines on the stem). The stems are stiff and angular.
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Landscape:
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Problems:
- Weedy
