Chenopodium Album. W hite Goosefoot.
CHENOPODIUM Lin. Gen. PL Pentandria Dig ynia .
Cal. '5-phyllus, 5-gonus.
Cor. o. ,5m. 1, lenticulare, fuperum.
Rati Syn. Gen. 5. Herb.« flore imperfecto seu stamineo vel ape*
talo potius.
CHENOPODIUM album foliis rhomboideo-triangularibus erofis poftice integris, fummis oblongis,
racemis ere&is. Lin. Syfi. Vegetab. p. 216.. Spec. Plant, p. 319. FI. Suecic. p: 79.
CHENOPODIUM foliis fubtus farinofis, rhomboideis, dentatis, fuperioribus integerrimis. Haller
. Mft- 1579-
CHENOPODIUM fylveftre opuli folio. Vaillant, Paris 36. t. 7. fig. 1.
BLITUM Atriplex fylveftris di&um. Ran Syn. p. 154. Common wild Orache."
ATRIPLEX folio finuato candicante. Bauh. Pin. 119.
ATRIPLEX fylveftris vulgatior finuata major. Parkinfon, 748.
ATRIPLEX vulgaris. Ger. emac. 326. Hudfon FI. Angli p. 91. Lightfoot Fl.Scot. p. 148.
' . ■
J lX annua, fibrofa, a lb a . V
I lIS ere&us, pedalis ad t rip ed a lem , p arum f le x - %
uofus, fubarigulofus e t ftriatus, fo lid u s , ra- h
mofus, laevis, fu b in d ep u rp u r a fc en s . R a m i f
alterni. - $
|lA rhomboideo-triangularia, e ro fa , p o ftic e in - f
tegra, fig. 7 . g la u co -v ir id ia , fubtus prae- '%
fertim farina co p io fe adfpe rfa , fummis o b - $
longis minus p ro fu n d e d enta tis, a u t e tiam f
integris.
«EMI axillares, ere&i, fpicati, floribus glome- |
I ratim difpofitis. . • $
jYX: Pe r ia n t h iu m pentaphyllum, perfiftens, f
foliolis ovatis, concavis, margine mem- 1
branaceis, pulverulentis,j£g. 1. poftice vifum, f
‘auéh *
JOLLA nulla.
J&MINÄ: F i l a m e n t a q u in q u e , fu b u la ta , a lb a , f
I calycis foliis o p p o lita e t paulo lo n g io ra ;
I A n th e r « fubrotundae, didymae, flavae, §
I . I
SLLUM : G e rm e n o rb icu la tum ,^ g \ 3 . S t y l u s $
I brevis, b ip artitu s ; S t i g m a t a o b t u f a ,^ . 4. f
2EN unicum, lenticulare, laeve, caftaneum,^g. 6. f
RO OT annual, fibrous, and white,.
S T A LK u p righ t , from on e to thre e fe e t h igh , flig h tly
c ro o k e d , fom ew h at a n gu la r an d ftriated , fo lid ,
b r an ch ed , fmo o th , fometimes o f a p u rp lifli
co lo u r . B r a n c h e s altern ate.
LEAVES of a triangular rhomboid figure, deeply and
irregularly indented, entire behind, Jig. 7.- of
a blueilh green colour, plentifully covered,
particularly on the under fide, with a mealy
powder, the uppermoft leaves oblong, lefs
deeply indented or even entire.
RACEMI axillary, .upright, forming a fpike of flowers
growing in little balls or clufters.
C A L YX : a P e r i a n t h iu m o f fiv e le a v e s : an d co n t
in u in g , the fe gm ents o v a l, h o llo w , memb
ranou s a t th e e d g e s an d p ow d e r y , Jig. 1 ,
fe en on the b a ck p a r t, an d ma gnified .
COROLLA w an ting .
STAMINA: five white tapering F i l a m e n t s oppo-
fite to and a little longer than, the leaves of
the calyx; A n t h e r a compofed of two
. roundifh yellow cells, fig. 2. •
PISTILLUM : G e r m e n orbicular, fig. 3 . S t y l e
fhort, divided in two; S t i g m a t a obtufe,
fig- 4-
SEED one, lens-lhaped, fmooth, and of a chefnut
. ■ y colour, Jig. 6.
s to illuftrate Iny plants (land in need of figu them, rather than defcriptions, it is furely the different
fs °‘ Chenopodium and Atriplex.
lu r in g the outline of the leaf o f any of thefe plants; we convey to the moft tranfient obferver, a
|F idea of its fhape, without that ambiguity which muft ever attend the defcription of leaves fo irregularly
gd, fo variable, and fo difficult of definition.
w iUrfiS| f e f t plants feem alfo to require every other kind of elucidation; and if the altering and J 1 tin“ Englilh names to different genera be in any cafe juftifiable, it muft be here, Where three different
r aie called indifcriminately by the names of Orach, Goofefoot, and Blite. 1 have therefore prefumed to
Be genus C h e n o p o d iu m Goofefoot, and propofe confining the term Orach to A t r i p l e x , and Amaranth
J anthu-s ; the term Blite, by which a fpecies of the laft-mentioned genus has been called, feems
I applicable to the genus B l i t u m . ... V. '
% ^ noP°dium album is the moft common with us of the whole genus; it occurs in every garden,
C fom°n every dunghill, and abounds in moft of our corn fields. To the gardener it is a quick-growing
j] W > to the farmer it is an injurious one, and generally introduced into his fields by that
j ; practice of fuffering every kind of weed to feed on his dung-heap.
jig flat yr fPe^es of this genus, it varies exceedingly in its appearance when young, and when in its
I p erj ?' Indeed all thefe plants require' that the ftudent ffiould notice them from the earlieft to the
I s .°* dieir growth; or he never can attain a perfeft knowledge of them.
Wh°!e aPPearance than moft o f the Chenopodiums, the leaves being more generally covered
I 1 ucid particles refembling meal, which are charafleriftic of thefe genera.
I ghtfoot noticed its being eaten as a pot-herb in fome parts of Scotland.