Scientific Family
Amaranthaceae
Synonyms
Chenopodium carinatum, Chenopodium pumilio, Teloxys pumilio
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Introduced
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
10 inches
Riparian
No
Leaves aromatic when crushed, alternate along the mostly trailing stems, hairy, sticky, the margins smooth, toothed, or lobed. Flowers tiny in compact clusters at the bases of the leaves.
Annual covered with stalked glandular outgrowths; prostrate to sub-erect, much-branched to simple. Leaf blades with margins coarsely tooth and lobed. Flower petals united well below middle, barely enclosing the fruit. Seeds vertical.
Habitat
Waste areas on rocky, sandy, or gravelly soils, sidewalks, rare in moist soils in forests.
Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
5100
Flower Characteristics
Flowers tiny less than 1/8 inch across, compact clusters at the base of the leaves. Flower bracts leaflike, oval, margins somewhat toothed, apex blunt.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems spreading or prostrate, 8 to 16 inches long with glandular hairs; leaves, oblong or lance-like, lobed, to 1 inch long, lobed margins with 2 to 4 lobes per side, large yellow glands beneath.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Oval, small, dry 1-seeded fruit; outer wall of fruit free from seed coat is thin, pliable and slightly wrinkled.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Reddish brown
Seeds reddish-brown, oval, less than 1/16 inch, margins rounded; seed coat smooth.