Chenopodiaceae
Encyclopedia
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of flowering plants, also called the Goosefoot Family. They are now included within family Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
. The vast majority of Chenopods are weeds, and many are salt and drought tolerant. A few food crops also belong to the family: spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
, beet
Beet
The beet is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family which is now included in Amaranthaceae family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is the purple root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet...
s, chard
Chard
Chard , is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. While the leaves are always green, chard stalks vary in color. Chard has been bred to have highly nutrious leaves at the expense of the root...
, quinoa
Quinoa
Quinoa , a species of goosefoot , is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family...
, and sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s. Chenopod pollen is a common allergen, but most Chenopod crops do not produce pollen.
Taxonomy
Although widely recognized in most plant classifications (notably the Cronquist systemCronquist system
The Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in his texts An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants and The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants .Cronquist's system places flowering plants into two...
), the APG system
APG system
The APG system of plant classification is the first, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in 1998 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was superseded in 2003 by a revision, the APG II system, and then in 2009 by a further...
(1998) and the APG II system
APG II system
The APG II system of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was a revision of the first APG system, published in 1998, and was superseded in 2009...
(2003) have included these plants in the family Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
on the basis of evidence from molecular phylogenies: they are a paraphyletic group, so that for a monophyletic taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
, merger with Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
sensu stricto was needed.
Current studies have classified the species of Chenopodiaceae to several distinct subfamilies (Betoideae
Betoideae
The Betoideae is a small subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, formerly classified in family Chenopodiaceae.- Description :...
, Camphorosmoideae
Camphorosmoideae
The Camphorosmoideae is a species-rich subfamily of the Amaranthaceae, formerly in family Chenopodiaceae.- Description :The members of Camphorosmoideae are mostly subshrubs or annuals. They differ from the similar Salsoloideae by the absence of bracteoles. Stigmas are filiform with papillae on the...
, Chenopodioideae
Chenopodioideae
The Chenopodioideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, formerly classified in family Chenopodiaceae.Food species include several Chenopodium species , Orache , and Spinach .-Genera:The subfamily includes about 25 genera.* Tribus Atripliceae C. A...
, Polycnemoideae
Polycnemoideae
Polycnemoideae is a subfamily of plants in the Amaranthaceae family.- Description :The subfamily Polycnemoideae is distinguishable from all other members of Amaranthaceae by normal secondary growth. The stomata of the leaves are arranged in parallel to the midveins. The flowers have conspicuous...
, Salicornioideae
Salicornioideae
The Salicornioideae is a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae, formerly in family Chenopodiaceae.- Description :The Salicornioideae have articulated, succulent stems and strongly reduces leaves. The flowers are aggregated in thick, dense spike-shaped thyrses....
, Salsoloideae
Salsoloideae
The Salsoloideae is a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae, formerly in family Chenopodiaceae.- Description :These are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs and some trees. Stems and leaves are often succulent. The ovary contains a spiral embryo....
and Suaedoideae
Suaedoideae
Suaedoideae is a subfamily of plants in the Amaranthaceae family.- Genera :* Bienertia Bunge ex Boiss., with one or two species.* Suaeda Forssk. ex J.F.Gmel. , with about 84 species...
).
Pollen allergy
Chenopod pollen is a common allergen. Most species bloom in summer months. Pollen at the microscopic level is mostly indistinguishable from species to species, but cross-reactivityCross-reactivity
Cross-reactivity is the reaction between an antibody and an antigen that differs from the immunogen. It is sometimes also referred to as crossimmunity or cross-protective immunity...
has not been definitively established. Because flowering does not occur in the commercial planting cycle, localized pollen counts will not increase due to planting of Chenopod crops.