Chenopodium bonus-henricus

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 218. 1753.

Common names: Good King Henry allgood fat-hen wild spinach
WeedyIntroduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 279. Mentioned on page 276.

Stems erect to ascending, unbranched, 2.5–7.5 dm, somewhat viscid and farinose. Leaves nonaromatic; petiole 1–12 cm; blade triangular to broadly hastate, 4.5–10 × 3–9 cm, base truncate, cordate, or hastate, margins entire, apex acute (acuminate), adaxially sparsely farinose. Inflorescences: dense glomerules sessile on terminal and axillary spikes, spikes 5–19 cm; glomerules 3–5 mm diam., flowers developing at about same time; bracts absent. Flowers: perianth segments connate into 0.4–0.6 mm tube, lobes oblong or elliptic, 0.8–1.5 × 0.5–1.1 mm, apex obtuse, rounded or truncate, scarcely abaxially keeled throughout, glabrous, not covering fruit at maturity; stamens (4–)5; stigmas 2–4. Achenes obovoid; pericarp adherent, ± smooth. Seeds obovoid or rotund, 1.5–2 mm in diam. margins not rounded; seed coat black, rugose.


Phenology: Fruiting early summer–fall.
Habitat: Waste areas and cultivated ground
Elevation: 0-200 m

Distribution

V4 508-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Alta., N.B., N.S., Ont., Que., Conn., Ill., Ky., Maine, Mass., Mich., N.J., N.Y., Pa., R.I., native to mountains of Europe.

Discussion

Chenopodium bonus-henricus is widely grown throughout the temperate regions, occasionally escaping.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
Steven E. Clemants +  and Sergei L. Mosyakin +
Linnaeus +
Undefined sect. Agathophytum +
Good King Henry +, allgood +, fat-hen +  and wild spinach +
Alta. +, N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Conn. +, Ill. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +, R.I. +  and native to mountains of Europe. +
0-200 m +
Waste areas and cultivated ground +
Fruiting early summer–fall. +
Weedy +  and Introduced +
Blitum sect. Agathophyton +
Chenopodium bonus-henricus +
Chenopodium sect. Agathophytum +
species +