Lambsquarters Chenopodium album
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ken-oh-POH-dee-um AL-bum
- Description
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Lambsquarters is highly adaptable summer annual edible in the Amaranth family. Though it is a beautiful plant it can be quite weedy. Pulling up seedlings before they set seed or mowing over plants before they produce seed are two management options.
- 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
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eurasia
- Edibility:
- Seeds, leaves, shoots, and flowers can be edible to an extent. However, the seeds have 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)
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Fruit Description:
- This plant has nearly rounded seeds (being black, green, or brown). Many seeds can come from just one of these plants.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- Pink
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Spike
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- In (generally) terminal clusters, flowers can be very light green or pink spikes.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Pink
- White
- Leaf Feel:
- Soft
- Velvety
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Linear
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Serrate
- 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 then the actual leaves being alternate). Leaves are green with sometimes tints of pink and a white mealy coating produced by tiny hairs on the leaves. The hairs are more dense on the underside of the leaves making it appear lighter. As the leaves mature the white hairs become more sparse. 5" long , goose-shaped (though other shapes are possible too such as triangular, ovate, lanceolate, or even linear) leaves. Margins are mostly smooth with some teeth along the edge or lobed.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- 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).
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Problems:
- Weedy
