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buttered goosefoot, goosefoot, low goosefoot

smooth goosefoot

Stems

erect to prostrate, much-branched, 0.1–3.5 dm, glabrous.

erect or semierect, branched, 1–5.5 dm, glabrous or sparsely farinose.

Leaves

nonaromatic;

petiole to 0.28 cm;

blade deltate or narrowly deltate, 0.8–6 × 0.2–3.5 cm, base cuneate, margins entire or broadly dentate, apex acute to obtuse.

nonaromatic;

petiole to 1 cm;

blade linear, 1-veined, 1–3(–5) × 0.1–0.2(–0.4) cm, somewhat fleshy, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous.

Inflorescences

lateral glomerules sessile on lateral branched spikes;

glomerules subglobose, 3–4 mm diam.;

bracts oblanceolate to linear, 0.2–1.5 cm.

glomerules in terminal and axillary panicles, 6–25 × 5–20 cm, widely spaced, maturing at different times;

bracts variable.

Flowers

perianth segments 3, connate almost to apex into 0.5–0.8 mm tube;

lobes deltate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm, membranous, apex acute, flat or occasionally keeled-corniculate, glabrous, green and covering fruit at maturity;

stamen 1;

stigmas 2, 0.2 mm.

perianth segments 5, connate into 0.3–0.4 mm tube;

lobes ovate or orbicular-obovate, 1–1.4 mm, apex obtuse or rounded, cucullate, carinate, sparsely farinose, largely covering fruit at maturity;

stamens 5;

stigmas 2, 0.1 mm.

Achenes

ovoid;

pericarp nonadherent, smooth.

Seeds

vertical and horizontal, ovoid, 0.6–0.9 mm diam., margins rounded;

seed coat black, smooth.

ovoid, 1.2–1.6 mm diam., margins obtuse with narrow rim;

seed coat black, smooth, shiny.

Utricles

ovoid;

pericarp nonadherent, reticulate-punctate.

2n

= 18.

Chenopodium chenopodioides

Chenopodium subglabrum

Phenology Fruiting summer–fall. Fruiting mid summer–fall.
Habitat Borders of lakes and ponds, lake bottoms, in fields Sandy areas, particularly sand bars in rivers and in sandy blowouts near river banks
Elevation 100-2400 m (300-7900 ft) 400-1400 m (1300-4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CO; IA; MT; ND; NE; NV; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The name Chenopodium botryodes Smith was sometimes applied to C. chenopodioides because of uncertainty about the proper application and typification of the name Blitum chenopodioides Linnaeus. The recent publication by P. Uotila (2001) provides a reasonable solution by maintaining the traditional usage through neotypification of the Linnaean name.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 282. FNA vol. 4, p. 289.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Chenopodium > subg. Blitum > sect. Pseudoblitum Chenopodiaceae > Chenopodium > subg. Chenopodium > sect. Chenopodium > subsect. Leptophylla
Sibling taxa
C. albescens, C. album, C. atrovirens, C. berlandieri, C. bonus-henricus, C. californicum, C. capitatum, C. cycloides, C. desiccatum, C. ficifolium, C. foggii, C. foliosum, C. fremontii, C. glaucum, C. hians, C. incanum, C. leptophyllum, C. macrospermum, C. murale, C. neomexicanum, C. nevadense, C. opulifolium, C. pallescens, C. polyspermum, C. pratericola, C. rubrum, C. simplex, C. standleyanum, C. strictum, C. subglabrum, C. urbicum, C. vulvaria, C. watsonii
C. albescens, C. album, C. atrovirens, C. berlandieri, C. bonus-henricus, C. californicum, C. capitatum, C. chenopodioides, C. cycloides, C. desiccatum, C. ficifolium, C. foggii, C. foliosum, C. fremontii, C. glaucum, C. hians, C. incanum, C. leptophyllum, C. macrospermum, C. murale, C. neomexicanum, C. nevadense, C. opulifolium, C. pallescens, C. polyspermum, C. pratericola, C. rubrum, C. simplex, C. standleyanum, C. strictum, C. urbicum, C. vulvaria, C. watsonii
Synonyms Blitum chenopodioides, C. botryodes, C. chenopodioides var. degenianum, C. crassifolium C. leptophyllum var. subglabrum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Aellen: in C. Osten et al., Ostenia, 98. (1933) (S. Watson) A. Nelson: Bot. Gaz. 34: 362. (1902)
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