Virgatum Goosefoot (Chenopodium virgatum)

Family: Chenopodiaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Chenopodium virgatum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves - cooked. A spinach substitute. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder, mixed with wheat or other cereals and used in making bread etc. — A spinach substitute.; The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.; Ground into a powder, mixed with wheat or other cereals and used in making bread etc.; The small black seed is about 1mm in diameter, it is somewhat fiddly to utilize.

Habitat & North American Range

Waste ground by rivers and sea-shores, C. and S. Japan. Beaches, lakeshores and waste places in eastern China. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)