Practical
Plants

Chenopodium quinoa

Quinoa

an annual member of the Chenopodium genus in the family Chenopodiaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
1.5 m
Spread
0.25 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Wind, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind, Self

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.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[10].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked[1][8][13][11][15][16]. A pleasant mild flavour, the seed can absorb the flavour of other foods that are cooked with it and so it can be used in a wide variety of ways[K]. It should be thoroughly soaked and rinsed to remove a coating of saponins on the seed surface. The seed can be used in all the ways that rice is used, as a savoury or sweet dish. It can also be ground into a powder and used as a porridge[12][6]. The seed can also be sprouted and used in salads[6] though many people find the sprouted seed unpleasant[K]. The seed contains a very high quality protein that is rich in the amino acids lysine, methionine and cystine, it has the same biological value as milk[7]. The seed contains about 38% carbohydrate, 19% protein, 5% fat, 5% sugar[5]. Leaves - raw or cooked[8][13][12][15]. The young leaves are cooked like spinach[6]. It is best not to eat large quantities of the raw leaves, see the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[4]. Saponins on the seed can be used as a bird and insect deterrent by spraying them on growing plants[3]. The saponins are obtained by saving the soak-water used when preparing the seed for eating. The spray remains effective for a few weeks or until washed off by rain[K].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Repellent
Product or use
Soap

Environment

Range
S. America - Western Andes.
Habitat
The original habitat is obscure, the plant probably arose through cultivation[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, drought
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow April in situ. The seed can either be sown broadcast or in rows about 25cm apart, thinning the plants to about every 10cm. Germination is rapid, even in fairly dry conditions. Be careful not to weed out the seedlings because they look very similar to some common garden weeds[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it requires a rich moist well-drained soil and a warm position if it is to do really well, but it also succeeds in less than optimum conditions[11][12]. Tolerates a pH range from 6 to 8.5 and moderate soil salinity[7]. Plants are quite wind resistant[K]. Plants are drought tolerant once they are established[7]. Plants tolerate light frosts at any stage in their development except when flowering[15][7]. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is commonly cultivated as a grain crop in Chile and Peru[14][15]. This plant is receiving considerable attention world-wide as a trouble-free easily grown seed crop for warm temperate and tropical zones. It has the potential to outcrop cereals on light land in Britain[3]. There are a great many named varieties[6][7]. The plant is day-length sensitive and many varieties fail to flower properly away from equatorial regions, however those varieties coming from the south of its range in Chile are more likely to do well in Britain[7]. Different cultivars take from 90 - 220 days from seed sowing to harvest[7]. Yields as high as 5 tonnes per hectare have been recorded in the Andes, which compares favourably with wheat in that area[7]. Young plants look remarkably like the common garden weed fat hen (Chenopodium album). Be careful not to weed the seedlings out in error[K]. The seed is not attacked by birds because it has a coating of bitter tasting saponins[141, K]. These saponins are very easily removed by soaking the seed overnight and then thoroughly rinsing it until there is no sign of any soapiness in the water. The seed itself is very easy to harvest by hand on a small scale and is usually ripe in August. Cut down the plants when the first ripe seeds are falling easily from the flower head, lay out the stems on a sheet in a warm dry position for a few days and then simply beat the stems against a wall or some other surface, the seed will fall out easily if it is fully ripe and then merely requires winnowing to get rid of the chaff.

References

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

    ↩

  2. ? Flora of Chile. (in Spanish)

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  3. Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986-00-00 ISBN 0704909820

    ↩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. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

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  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-309-04264-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

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

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

    ↩

  11. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

    ↩1↩2

  12. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  13. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  15. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.

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