Flora of North America species comparison

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Dysphania anthelmintica

wormseed
Habit Plants annual.
Stems

erect to ascending, branched, 3.7–7.5(–10) dm, ± glandular-pubescent, puberulent, or glabrate.
Leaves

malodorous, distal leaves sessile;

petiole 1.4 mm;

blade narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 5–7 × 1.5–3 cm, base cuneate, margins dentate with large, widely spaced teeth, apex acute, gland-dotted (rarely nearly glabrous).
Inflorescences

terminal and lateral spikes or panicles, 3–8 cm;

glomerules globose, 2.5–3.3 mm diam.;

bracts absent or leaflike, linear, to 2.2 mm, apex acute.
Flowers

perianth segments 5, connate for ca. 1/2 their length, distinct portion ovate, 0.7 mm, apex obtuse, rounded abaxially, glabrous, covering fruit at maturity;

stamens 5;

stigmas 3.
Achenes

ovoid;

pericarp nonadherent, smooth, glandular.
Seeds

horizontal or vertical, reddish brown, ovoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.8–1 mm;

seed coat smooth.

Dysphania anthelmintica
Phenology Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Sand dunes, pinelands, meadows, roadsides, and other waste areas
Elevation 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TX; VA; WV; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; Bermuda
Discussion

Dysphania anthelmintica is cultivated and locally naturalized elsewhere in the world. It is reported to not have leaves (pseudobracts) subtending the glomerules. In fact, it usually has very reduced leaflike bracts that are never longer than the glomerules. This species appears to be the most common representative along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and is probably native to that region.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 270.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Dysphania > sect. Adenois
Sibling taxa
D. ambrosioides, D. aristata, D. botrys, D. carinata, D. chilensis, D. cristata, D. graveolens, D. multifida, D. pumilio
Synonyms Chenopodium anthelminticum, Chenopodium ambrosioides var. anthelminticum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Mosyakin & Clemants: Ukrayins’k. Bot. Zhur n., n. s. 59: 382. (2002)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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