common lambsquarters plant

Common lambsquarters – Chenopodium album

Chenopodium album L.

Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot family)

MI Status

Non-native

Life cycle

Erect summer annual.

Leaves

Cotyledons are oblong, narrow and linear with no midvein and a dull green to gray cast. The first one or two leaf pairs are opposite;all remaining leaves are alternate. Mature leaves are highly variable, being triangle-, diamond- or lance-shaped and light green abovewith gray, mealy undersides. Lower leaves have a petiole and irregular wavy to shallowly toothed margins. Young or newly emerged
leaves often have a gray, mealy coating on both surfaces.

Stems

Erect, moderately branched central stem up to 6 feet in height. Mature stems are vertically grooved with red, purple or light green stripes.

Flowers and fruit

Green, inconspicuous flowers are found in dense, granular clusters at the stem ends. Round to oval, somewhat flattened, black to brown, shiny seeds are enclosed by a star-shaped, papery covering.

Reproduction

Seeds.

Similar weeds

Atriplex (Atriplex patula L.)
Differs by having larger cotyledons, a more branching, spreading habit due to the opposite arrangement of the first several pairs of leaves and branches, and leaf bases with a lobe on each side.

Common lambsquarters plant
Common lambsquarters plant
Common lambsquarters mature seedhead
Common lambsquarters mature seedhead
Common lambsquarters seedling
Common lambsquarters seedling
Common lambsquarters cotyledon
Common lambsquarters cotyledon

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