Chenopodiaceae - goosefoot family

Gerald A. Mulligan (1928 - 2022)
Research Scientist and Research Institute Director (retired).
Honorary Research Associate (1987 - 2022), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C6, Canada

Awarded the George Lawson Medal by the Canadian Botanical Association in 2006.
Awarded the Faculty of Macdonald, McGill University, Most Distinguished Alumni Award on October 18, 2014.
Read his biography "The Real Weed Man" available in print and ebook.

Click here to go to Weed Photos for this family

Axyris amaranthoides L., Russian pigweed, ansérine de Russie
Annual, stems to 4 feet (12 dm.) high; inconspicuous flowers; occurs throughout, but most common in mid-west; grain fields, roadsides, gardens, farmyards, manure piles, waste places, and along roadsides; introduced from Asia..

Chenopodium album L., lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
Annual, spreading by seeds; autogamous, wind-pollinated; stems 1 to 6 feet (3 to 18 dm.) high; inconspicuous green flowers; widespread in cultivated land, grain fields, gardens, roadsides, and waste places; introduced from Europe. Poisoning has occurred in Europe when large quantities were consumed because of a serious food shortage in wartime.

Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad., Kochia, kochia à balais
Annual, spreading by seeds; stems erect, 1 to 6 feet (3 to 18 dm.) high; inconspicuous flowers; occurs widely ,but most common in mid-west; waste places, and along roadsides; introduced from Europe and Asia. Photosensitization of cattle has resulted in poisoning and death.

Salsola kali L. subsp. ruthenica (Iljin) Soó[ =Salsola pestifer A.Nelson], Russian thistle, soude roulante
Annual; stems from 3 inches to 4 feet (8cm. to 12 dm.) high, flowers inconspicuous; throughout, but most common in prairie areas; prairie, cultivated fields, roadsides, and waste places; almost exclusively a railroad bed weed in the east.; introduced from Europe and Asia. At maturity, the nearly spherical bushy top breaks away at ground level and is rolled by the wind, dropping seeds in its path.

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Weed Name Photo Weed Name Photo
Russian pigweed, ansérine de Russie Russian pigweed, ansérine de Russie
(NC)
Russian pigweed, ansérine de Russie
(F&M)
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
2 seedlings, FF
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
seedling, FF
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
(NC)
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
(F&M)
lamb's-quarters, chénopode blanc
(many plants)
Kochia, kochia à balais
Kochia, kochia à balais Kochia, kochia à balais
(F&M)
Russian thistle, soude roulante Russian thistle, soude roulante
(summer)
Russian thistle, soude roulante
(autumn)
Russian thistle, soude roulante
2 seedlings
Russian thistle, soude roulante
(autumn)
Russian thistle, soude roulante
(F&M)
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