FNA: Chenopodium subglabrum vs. Chenopodium

Phenology

Fruiting mid summer–fall.

Habitat

Sandy areas, particularly sand bars in rivers and in sandy blowouts near river banks

Elevation

400-1400 m (1300-4600 ft)

Distribution

CO; IA; MT; ND; NE; NV; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; MB; SK

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Worldwide

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Species 100+ (34 in the flora).

Chenopodium quinoa Willdenow (quinoa) is cultivated occasionally as a grain crop. It will key to Chenopodium berlandieri and is related to it. It generally has larger leaves and inflorescences and light-colored seeds.

Seeds are generally flattened and lentil-like. The equatorial edge (here called margin) may be rounded, flattened, or grooved. The surface is usually honey combed or smooth. All leaf characteristics refer to primary, well-developed leaves; those often fall early, however, so smaller, upper leaves often are shorter, narrower, and less lobed.

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

Key

1. Seeds vertical or both horizontal and vertical; leaf blades glabrous or occasionally farinose (C. glaucum, C. macrospermum) [7a. Chenopodium subg. Blitum]	→ 2
1. Seeds all horizontal; leaf blades usually farinose [7b. Chenopodium subg. Chenopodium, 7b.2 Chenopodium sect. Chenopodium and 7b.1 sect. Grossefoveata]	→ 9
2. Perianth segments 5; plants perennial [7a.1. Chenopodium sect. Agathophytum]	→ 3
2. Perianth segments usually 3; plants annual	→ 4
3. Leaf blade margins entire	C. bonus-henricus
3. Leaf blade margins sinuate-dentate	C. californicum
4. Leaf blades lanceolate or oblong, glaucous abaxially [7a.5 Chenopodium sect. Glauca]	C. glaucum
4. Leaf blades triangular or rhombic, rarely lanceolate, green abaxially	→ 5
5. Leaf blades farinose abaxially [7a.3. Chenopodium sect. Degenia]	C. macrospermum
5. Leaf blades glabrous abaxially	→ 6
6. Glomerules 3-10 mm diam., sessile on unbranched terminal and occasionally axillary spikes; perianth segments fleshy, red at maturity (not fleshy but often red in C. capitatum var. parvicapitatum); seeds all vertical [7a.2. Chenopodium sect. Blitum]	→ 7
6. Glomerules 2-5 mm diam., sessile on lateral branched spikes; perianth segments membranaceous, green at maturity; horizontal and vertical seeds both present [7a.4. Chenopodium sect. Pseudoblitum]	→ 8
7. Glomerules not subtended by leaflike bracts in distal 1/2 of spike; flow- ers maturing uniformly from apex of plant to base	C. capitatum
7. Glomerules subtended by leaflike bracts throughout inflorescence; flow- ers maturing from base of plant to apex	C. foliosum
8. Perianth segments connate nearly to tip	C. chenopodioides
8. Perianth segments mostly connate only at very base	C. rubrum
9. Flowers individually disposed in panicles; leaf blades glabrous	→ 10
9. Flowers in loose or dense glomerules; leaf blades usually farinose [7b.2. Chenopodium sect. Chenopodium]	→ 11
10. Leaves sinuate-dentate; seeds 1.3-1.9 mm diam. [7b.1. Chenopodium sect. Grossefoveata]	C. simplex
10. Leaves entire; seeds 0.8-1.3 mm diam. [7b.2a. Chenopodium subsect. Polysperma]	C. polyspermum
11. Primary leaves linear, linear-lanceolate, or occasionally narrowly oblong-ovate, 2-3 times longer than broad or longer; usually without teeth or lobes or occasionally with a pair of basal lobes [7b.2d. Chenopodium subsect. Leptophylla and 7b.2b. Chenopodium subsect. Chenopodium (33. C. strictum)]	→ 12
11. Leaves ovate, rhombic, triangular, or lanceolate, to 2 times longer than broad; usually with basal lobes and often with additional teeth on margin	→ 22
12. Leaves with 1 vein, blades linear, usually somewhat fleshy, margins entire	→ 13
12. Leaves with 3 veins from base, blades linear, lanceolate, or occasionally narrowly oblong-ovate or triangular-rhombic, usually without teeth or lobes or occasionally with a pair of basal lobes	→ 16
13. Fruit an utricle, pericarp separable; plant mostly not farinose	C. subglabrum
13. Fruit an achene, pericarp attached; plant mostly farinose	→ 14
14. Sepals connate to or above widest part of seed; seeds 1.3-1.5 mm diam., margins acute	C. cycloides
14. Sepals connate only at very base; seeds 0.8-1.5 mm diam., margin srounded	→ 15
15. Seeds 1.4-1.6 mm diam.; well-grown plants more than 4 dm	C. pallescens
15. Seeds 0.9-11.1 mm diam.; plants chiefly less than 4 dm	C. leptophyllum
16. Leaves 3 times longer than broad or longer	→ 17
16. Leaves 2-3 times longer than broad, usually narrowly oblong-ovate or deltoid rhombic	→ 20
17. Fruit an achene, pericarp attached, minutely granular-roughened; seeds flattened on top	C. hians
17. Fruit an utricle, pericarp separable; seeds rounded on top	→ 18
18. Perianth spreading from fruit at maturity; plants strictly erect	C. pratericola
18. Perianth enclosing fruit at maturity; plants erect to spreading	→ 19
19. Plants usually spreading; perianth segments obtuse; leaf blades usually unlobed	C. desiccatum
19. Plants erect; perianth segments acute; leaf blades often with basal lobes	C. foggii
20. Fruit an utricle, pericarp separable; leaf blades entire	C. atrovirens
20. Fruit an achene, pericarp attached; leaf blades often toothed	→ 21
21. Leaves with 3 prominent veins, sparsely farinose; seeds 0.7-0.8 mm diam	C. nevadense
21. Leaves with one prominent vein and two obscure outer veins at the base, moderately farinose; seeds 0.9-1.5 mm diam.	C. strictum
22. Seeds honeycomb-pitted [7b.2f. Chenopodium subsect. Favosa]	→ 23
22. Seeds smooth or areolate	→ 26
23. Lower leaves entire or with only 1-2 teeth or lobes near base	→ 24
23. Lower leaves serrate and usually lobed	→ 25
24. Seeds subglobose, entirely covered by perianth segments at maturity; pericarp slightly to prominently whitened; leaves broadest very near base	C. watsonii
24. Seeds more or less flattened, partially exposed at maturity; pericarp black; leaves usually prominently lobed above the base	C. neomexicanum
25. Leaves with central lobe 2-3 times longer than lateral lobe	C. ficifolium
25. Leaves with central lobe only slightly longer than lateral lobes or unlobed and merely toothed	C. berlandieri
26. Leaves triangular	→ 27
26. Leaves ovate to broadly ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate, variously lobed or toothed	→ 30
27. Leaf blades toothed and sometimes with basal lobes, usually glabrous	→ 28
27. Leaf blades with basal lobes but no additional teeth, usually farinose [7b.2e. Chenopodium subsect. Fremontiana]	→ 29
28. Seeds 0.8-1.2 mm diam, seed margin round; leaf blades often with basal lobes [7b.2b. Chenopodium subsect. Urbica]	C. urbicum
28. Seeds 1-1.5 mm diam., seed margin acute; leaf blades without basal lobes [7b.2c. Chenopodium subsect. Undata]	C. murale
29. Plants simple below, branching above; seeds 1-1.3 mm diam.	C. fremontii
29. Plants profusely branching from base; seeds 0.9-1.1(-1.2) mm diam	C. incanum
30. Leaf blades without teeth except for often present basal lobes or teeth	→ 31
30. Leaf blades with lateral teeth and often basal lobes	→ 35
31. Flowers in markedly different stages of development in the same glom- erules [7b.2g. Chenopodium subsect. Standleyana]	C. standleyanum
31. Flowers all more or less in same stages of development in same glomerules	→ 32
32. Leaves without basal lobes or teeth, malodorus [7b.2b. Chenopodium subsect. Chenopodium]	C. vulvaria
32. Leaf blades with basal lobes; not malodorous	→ 33
33. Fruit an achene, pericarp attached [7b.2e. Chenopodium subsect. Fremontii]	C. nevadense
33. Fruit an utricle, pericarp separable	→ 34
34. Plants 0.1-0.7 m [7b.2d. Chenopodium subsect. Leptophylla]	C. atrovirens
34. Plants 0.5-1.2 m [7b.2e. Chenopodium subsect. Fremontii]	C. albescens
35. Leaves widely ovate, as long as broad; lateral lobes equaling terminal lobes in size	C. opulifolium
35. Leaves ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate, longer than broad; lateral lobes when present smaller than the terminal lobe	→ 36
36. Leaf margins tapering to an acute apex; leaves ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate; inflo- rescence branched spicate or cymose	C. album
36. Leaf margins more or less parallel below the obtuse apex, leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic; inflorescence normally moniliform, not profusely branching	C. strictum