Chenopodium macrospermum Hook.var. halophilum (Philippi) Standley   =Chenopodium macrospermum var. farinosum   Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)   South America   Coast Goosefoot

                                      September Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Annual, branched from base, the stems stout, ascending to erect, glabrous, 1-5 dm. long; lvs. rhombic to deltoid-rhombic, 1.5-5 cm. long, obtuse, glabrous above, farinose beneath, sinuate-dentate; petioles shorter than to ca. as long as blades; glomerules in dense spikes, sessile in axils of reduced upper lvs.; calyx barely 1 mm. long, the segms. rounded; seed vertical, ca. 1 mm. long, dark.

Habitat:  Moist places, Coastal Strand; San Diego Co. to n. Calif.  July-Oct.

Name:  See other chenopods for the derivation of Chenopodium.  Greek, makros, large and Greek, spermatos, seed. (Jaeger 147,243).  Latin, farinosus, mealy.  (Jaeger 101).  The species name, macrospermum, seems misnamed as the seeds are very small.  (my comment).  Greek, halos, the sea and philos, fond of.  (Jaeger 115, 193).     Halophilum, fond of the sea, referring to the normal habitat in the Coastal Strand.  (my comment).

General:  Uncommon in the study area, however, as with others of the genus, several have very similar characteristics and can be easily mistaken for their near relatives.  Photographed on the westerly side of the Delhi Ditch.  (my comments).      Weedy annual and perennial herbs, or rarely sub-shrubs, of about 250 species, usually mealy and often with strong odor.  (Bailey 352).      The Atsugewi Indians of northern California ate the seeds of Chenopodium species along with those of many other plants.  The seeds were gathered in July and were knocked into a tightly woven basket with a seed beater.  They were later parched on a tray.  (Campbell 163).      A large genus, essentially cosmopolitan.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 359).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 510; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 363; Roberts 19.

Photo Ref:  Sept 2 83 #5.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.  

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 305.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 11/25/02.