Leafy goosefoot

Chenopodium foliosum

Physical Characteristics

Chenopodium foliosum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

S. Europe to N. Africa and Asia.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Leaves - cooked and used like spinach[61, 74, 177]. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - ground into a powder and cooked. It can be added to cereal flours and used in making bread. Very small and fiddly, the seed is about 1mm in diameter[266]. Soak the seed for 12 hours and then thoroughly rinse it in order to wash off any saponins before grinding it[K]. Fruit - raw. Fairly insipid, though quite attractive to look at[K]. The fruit is about 12mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

None known

Known Hazards

The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].