Nature
Goosefoot (Chenopodium album) is an annual, wind-pollinated plant that usually attains a height of around 0.1-1.5 m and 3-3.5 m in exceptional cases. This plant's stem is straight, smooth, varied in color (green, red, or purple), with furrows along its length. The leaves are broad, triangle, or rhombic-shaped, around 15 cm in length with irregular serrated edges and white scales on leaves, especially underneath the surface. The leaves of young plants are oval with the opposite arrangement; with aging, these leaves space out in alternate arrangement and develop purple color with white granules. The flowers are bisexual (hermaphrodite), green (without petals), and formed in dense clusters. The seeds of this plant are reported to be small, disc, or arch-shaped with a diameter of around 1.5 mm. This plant can approximately produce 20,000 pollen grains during one season (1). Pollination usually takes place from July to September; however, at some places, it has been reported to initiate in May and continue up to November (2). This plant is a food source for livestock and even consumed as a cooking herb or salad. Additionally, the seeds of this plant are also utilized to prepare dark flour for gruel or bread (2).
Habitat
Goosefoot weed can be found in cultivated fields, juniper-pine forests, overgrazed lands, desert grasslands, logged openings, and brush burns (2). This plant thrives in both temperate and tropical regions; it is extensively prevalent in semi-arid areas. It can grow in a wide range of soil conditions ranging from strongly acidic to alkaline; however, calcareous soil has been reported as the preferred one. The optimal growth conditions required for this plant include intense sunlight in the summer season, hot temperature conditions, slight precipitation, high evaporation, and elevated soil salinity (1). This plant is found in various altitudes, ranging from 100 to 9,500 feet (2).
Taxonomy
Globally, the genus Chenopodium comprises 250 species and subspecies. Approximately 25 Chenopodium species have been identified as a weed in various regions of the world. Amongst these, Chenopodium album L. and Chenopodium murale L. have been recognized as the two most notable weed species. Moreover, C. album has also been reported as one of the ten widely invasive and problematic weed species (1).
Taxonomic tree of Goosefoot, Lamb’s quarters (3) |
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Domain |
Eukaryota |
Kingdom |
Plantae |
Phylum |
Spermatophyta |
Subphylum |
Angiospermae |
Class |
Dicotyledonae |
Order |
Caryophyllales |
Family |
Chenopodiaceae |
Genus |
Chenopodium |
Species |
Chenopodium album (4) |
Taxonomic tree of Goosefoot, Lamb’s quarters (3) |
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Tissue
The pollen grains of goosefoot (Lamb’s quarters) have been reported to be spheroidal in shape (23-34 µm in diameter). The grains are periporate, with evenly scattered pores (2-2.5 µm diameter) of around 90-140 throughout the surface. The outer layer (exine) is tectate and has a thinner endexine (inner membrane of exine) compared to the ektexine (the outer membrane of exine), connected by a short baculate rod-like structure (2).