Scientific Family
Chenopodiaceae
Synonyms
Chenopodium graveolens, Chenopodium incisum, Teloxys graveolens
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Dysphania sp.
Height
9 to 20 inches
Riparian
No
Erect with a slender stem and several branches. Stems and branches turn color to bright red in fall, not conspicuous in spring and summer.
Stems erect with sparse short rarely glandular hairs. Leaves aromatic; petiole to 1.3 mm; blade base wedge-shaped, margins pinnatifid, apex pointed. Inflorescences are terminal. Calyx
and sometimes leaves with yellow resinous dots.
Habitat
Most commonly found in the shade of pines and junipers or occasionally in open dry plains, ridge tops, or in waste areas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
9200
Flower Characteristics
Flowers are both male and female. Inflorescences are terminal cymes.
Flower color
Yellowish-green
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Aromatic and glandular. Leaf stalk is 1/16 inch long. Blade is 5/8 to 1-3/4 inches long by 1/4 to 1 inch wide. Apex is acute. Margins are smooth near the apex.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Dissected
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Color is blotchy white. Spherical in shape. Surface is rough and wrinkled. Fruits appear in late summer and fall.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
White
Spherical in shape. Surface is rough and wrinkled.