5. Chenopodium bushianum Aellen
C.
berlandieri var. bushianum
(Aellen) Cronquist
C. paganum Rchb.
Pl. 353 d, e;
Map 1525
Plants annual,
without an odor. Stems (20–)40–200 cm long, erect or ascending, usually few- to
several-branched above the base and below the inflorescence, glabrous or more
commonly sparsely to moderately white-mealy, sometimes reddish-tinged or
reddish-striped. Leaves mostly long-petiolate. Leaf blades 1–12 cm long, mostly
1–3 times as long as wide (1–5 cm wide), mostly rhombic to ovate-rhombic, less
commonly ovate-triangular, the uppermost usually linear to narrowly lanceolate,
angled or tapered from below the midpoint to a usually sharply pointed tip, the
middle lobe not appearing unusually elongate, angled at the base, green or
reddish-tinged, relatively thin and herbaceous in texture, the margins entire to
wavy or irregularly several-toothed (the basal pair of teeth usually larger
than the others), sometimes with a pair of shallow lobes and otherwise entire,
the upper surface glabrous or sparsely to moderately mealy at maturity, not
shiny, 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, the terminal ones
usually grouped into small to relatively large panicles, these sometimes
drooping at maturity. Flowers not all maturing at the same time. Calyx 5-lobed
nearly to the base, covering the entire fruit, the lobes 1.4–2.0 mm long, ovate
to triangular-ovate, rounded or bluntly to sharply pointed at the tip, slightly
and narrowly keeled or raised along the midvein dorsally, sparsely to less
commonly densely white-mealy. Stamens 5. Stigmas 2. Fruits 1.5–2.2 mm wide,
depressed-ovoid, the seeds positioned horizontally, the wall thin, membranous,
and somewhat translucent, appearing honeycombed (often visible only with
magnification), finely pitted, the pits usually more or less rectangular,
separated by a network of thin ridges, usually uniformly difficult to separate
from the seed. Seeds reddish brown to more commonly black, dull, finely
wrinkled, rounded to very bluntly angled along the rim. 2n=36. August–October.
Scattered but
sporadic nearly throughout the state (eastern U.S. west to North Dakota and
Kansas, Canada). Banks of streams, rivers, and spring branches, and mesic
upland forests; also open, disturbed areas.
Steyermark
(1963) noted that in addition to the large, reticulate fruits and large, thin
leaves, other characteristic features of this species include the relatively
pale green color of the foliage and the often lead-colored, drooping
inflorescences produced in the autumn when most of the leaves have already been
shed. He predicted that C. bushianum eventually would be found in nearly
every county of Missouri, but its distribution has remained sporadic in the
state.