8. Chenopodium ficifolium Sm. (fig-leaved goosefoot)

Pl. 355 a, b; Map 1528

Plants annual, without an odor. Stems 20–100 cm long, erect or ascending, unbranched or more commonly few- to much-branched above the base, glabrous or nearly so, often somewhat reddish-tinged or reddish-striped. Leaves short- to more commonly long-petiolate. Leaf blades 2–7 cm long, mostly 2–5 times as long as wide (0.5–3.0 cm wide), oblong to ovate or narrowly rhombic, rounded to bluntly pointed at the tip, angled, tapered, or occasionally rounded at the base, with a conspicuous pair of triangular lobes toward the base and the middle lobe elongate, appearing narrowly oblong, more or less parallel sided for most of its length, green to grayish green, relatively thin and herbaceous in texture, the margins otherwise wavy to irregularly several-toothed, the upper surface glabrous or sparsely white-mealy, the undersurface sparsely to densely white-mealy. Venation noticeably branched, with 1 or 3 main veins. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, consisting of short spikes with small clusters of flowers, these often grouped into small panicles. Flowers not all maturing at the same time. Calyx 5-lobed to about the midpoint, covering the entire fruit except sometimes for a minute area surrounding the style, the lobes 0.5–0.8 mm long, ovate, rounded or bluntly pointed at the tip, rounded and often narrowly and inconspicuously keeled, moderately to densely white-mealy. Stamens 5. Stigmas 2. Fruits 0.9–1.2 mm wide, depressed-ovoid, the seeds positioned horizontally, the wall thin, membranous, and somewhat translucent, smooth or finely but distinctly pitted (the pits usually more or less rectangular, separated by a network of thin ridges), difficult to separate from the seed. Seeds black, shiny, finely pitted or wrinkled at maturity, rounded along the rim. 2n=18. July–November.

Introduced, uncommon, known thus far only from the city of St. Louis (native of Europe, Asia; introduced in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Canada). Open, disturbed areas.

This species was first reported from Missouri by Mühlenbach (1983), who noted that plants appeared for a period of several years in various portions of the Missouri Botanical Garden following construction of the John G. Lehmann Building. However, the species has not been found in the state since 1976.