Practical
Plants

Chenopodium auricomum

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
1.8 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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[7].

Edible uses

Leaves - cooked and used like spinach[8][2][3]. An excellent vegetable[5], it has a mild flavour, is palatable and nutritious[2, K]. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked. Ground and used as a flour in bread etc. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[4].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
Australia.
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know how well it will grow in Britain, but it should succeed as a spring sown annual. This species was cultivated as a spinach in Britain in the 19th century[3], it is an excellent vegetable[5]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade[1][6]. It prefers a moderately fertile soil[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩1↩2

  4. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

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  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

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  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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