19. Chenopodium standleyanum Aellen (woodland goosefoot)
Pl. 355 j, k;
Map 1539
Plants annual,
without an odor. Stems 20–120(–200) cm long, erect or ascending (sometimes
arched), usually much-branched above the base, glabrous, sometimes slightly
reddish-tinged or reddish-striped. Leaves sessile or short-petiolate. Leaf
blades 1–5(–8) cm long, mostly 3–6 times as long as wide (3–15 mm wide),
narrowly lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, those of the lowermost
leaves occasionally narrowly ovate to ovate-triangular, sharply pointed at the
tip, angled at the base, rarely with a shallow pair of basal lobes, green to dark
green, relatively thin and herbaceous in texture, the margins otherwise entire
or shallowly few- to less commonly several-toothed, the upper surface glabrous
or sparsely white-mealy, the undersurface sparsely to moderately white-mealy.
Venation noticeably branched, with 1 or 3 main veins. Inflorescences axillary
and terminal, consisting of short spikes with small clusters of flowers, the
terminal spikes usually grouped into small panicles. Flowers not all maturing
at the same time. Calyx 5-lobed to below the midpoint, extending past the
widest part of the fruit but not reaching the stylar area, leaving much of the
portion of the fruit above the rim exposed at maturity, the lobes 0.5–0.7 mm
long, oblong-obovate, rounded at the tip, flat, somewhat rounded or pouched,
rarely narrowly and shallowly keeled dorsally, glabrous or sparsely
white-mealy. Stamens 5. Stigmas 2. Fruits (1.0–)1.2–1.5 mm wide,
depressed-ovoid, the seeds positioned horizontally, the wall thin, membranous,
and somewhat translucent, smooth, easily separated from the seed. Seeds black,
shiny, smooth to slightly roughened, rounded along the rim. 2n=18. June–October.
Scattered nearly
throughout the state (eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada west to Montana and New
Mexico). Upland forests, tops and ledges of bluffs, banks of streams and
rivers, and rarely bottomland forests and edges of upland prairies; also
roadsides, railroads, and rarely crop fields.