Chenopodium berlandieri
Encyclopedia
Chenopodium berlandieri, also known by the common names pitseed goosefoot, huauzontle, and lambsquarters, is an annual
herbaceous plant in the goosefoot family
.
The species is widespread in North America, where it is native to Alaska
and northern Canada
south to Michoacán
, Mexico
, and including every U.S. State
except Hawaii
. The fast-growing, upright plant can reach heights of more than 3 m. It can be differentiated from most of the other members of its large genus by its honeycomb-pitted seeds, and further separated by its serrate, more or less evenly lobed lower leaves.
Although widely regarded today as a weed
, this species was once part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex
of prehistoric North America, and was a fully domesticated
pseudocereal
crop, similar to the closely related quinoa
C. quinoa. It continues to be cultivated in Mexico as a pseudocereal, as a leaf vegetable
, and for its broccoli-like flowering shoots.
subspecies (i.e. Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. berlandieri) and Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae. The latter, which also goes by the common names huauzontle, huauthili and Nuttall's goosefoot, is a domesticated line still in cultivation in Mexico, and is distinguished by a substantial reduction in testa thickness.
The type species includes the following varieties
:
Additionally, there are three important cultivar
s of the nuttalliae subspecies:
The species is capable of hybridizing with the related introduced European Chenopodium album
, which it resembles, giving the hybrid C. × variabile Aellen.
in eastern North America, making it a part of the so-called Eastern Agricultural Complex
. There is archaeological evidence that shows that Chenopodium berlandieri was extensively foraged as a wild plant in eastern North America as early as 8,500 BP
(6,500 BCE). By 3700 BP (1700 BCE) the plant had clearly been domesticated as a pseudocereal
crop. A variety of regional cultivars have even been recovered from various widely separated sites. The oldest evidence for domestication comes in the form of stashes of thin-testa seeds from rock shelters in eastern Kentucky
. The crop ceased to be cultivated in the region by about 1750 CE.
Although cultivation of the species died out in eastern North America, the plant continues to be grown as a domesticated crop in Mexico, though its cultivation has been declining. This cultivated form of the plant is ranked as a subspecies, namely Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae. There are three varieties of the subspecies which are grown as a pseudocereal, as a leaf vegetable
, and for its broccoli-like flowering shoots, respectively.
Based on similarities between this modern cultivated form and the archaeological specimens from eastern North America, it was suggested that the species was first domesticated in Mexico and later brought to upper North America. There is currently no archaeological evidence to support this position, with some experts even suggesting that the crop may have been absent from Mexico until the 16th century CE. Genetic studies have shown that wild eastern North American plants and the Mexican cultivated forms have considerable genetic distance between them. This has been interpreted as indicating a later second domestication event in Mexico.
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
herbaceous plant in the goosefoot family
Chenopodiaceae
Chenopodiaceae were a family of flowering plants, also called the Goosefoot Family. They are now included within family Amaranthaceae. The vast majority of Chenopods are weeds, and many are salt and drought tolerant. A few food crops also belong to the family: spinach, beets, chard, quinoa, and...
.
The species is widespread in North America, where it is native to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and northern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
south to Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and including every U.S. State
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
except Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The fast-growing, upright plant can reach heights of more than 3 m. It can be differentiated from most of the other members of its large genus by its honeycomb-pitted seeds, and further separated by its serrate, more or less evenly lobed lower leaves.
Although widely regarded today as a weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
, this species was once part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex
Eastern Agricultural Complex
The Eastern Agricultural Complex describes the agricultural practices of the pre-historic Eastern Woodland Native Americans in the eastern United States and Canada. Native Americans domesticated and cultivated many indigenous crops as far west as the Great Plains.-Term:The term Eastern Agricultural...
of prehistoric North America, and was a fully domesticated
Domestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
pseudocereal
Pseudocereal
Pseudocereals are broadleaf plants that are used in much the same way as cereals . Their seed can be ground into flour and otherwise used as cereals. Examples of pseudocereals are amaranth, Love-lies-bleeding, red amaranth, Prince-of-Wales-feather, quinoa, and buckwheat.- Pseudocereals :...
crop, similar to the closely related 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...
C. quinoa. It continues to be cultivated in Mexico as a pseudocereal, as a leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, leafy greens or salad greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots...
, and for its broccoli-like flowering shoots.
Taxonomy
The species includes two subspecies: the typeBiological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
subspecies (i.e. Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. berlandieri) and Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae. The latter, which also goes by the common names huauzontle, huauthili and Nuttall's goosefoot, is a domesticated line still in cultivation in Mexico, and is distinguished by a substantial reduction in testa thickness.
The type species includes the following varieties
Variety (biology)
In botanical nomenclature, variety is a taxonomic rank below that of species: as such, it gets a three-part infraspecific name....
:
- C. b. ssp. berlandieri var. berlandieri
- C. b. ssp. berlandieri var. boscianum
- C. b. ssp. berlandieri var. bushianum (Bush's goosefoot)
- C. b. ssp. berlandieri var. macrocalycium
- C. b. ssp. berlandieri var. sinuatum
- C. b. ssp. berlandieri var. zschackii (Zschack's goosefoot)
Additionally, there are three important cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of the nuttalliae subspecies:
- 'Huauzontle' - This cultivar is a more recent selection used in commercial cultivation for a broccoliBroccoliBroccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is used as a vegetable.-General:The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of , refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage"....
-like crop. It is a "naked" variety and has a testa only 2-7 µm thick (cf. human hair, which is about 100 µm wide). - 'Chia' - Grown as a grain crop, this cultivar is declining and is only cultivated on a local level. It also has a very thin testa, though slightly thicker than the previous at 10-20 µm.
- 'Quelite' - This cultivar is also grown only locally and is likewise in decline. It is cultivated for its spinachSpinachSpinach 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...
-like leaves.
The species is capable of hybridizing with the related introduced European Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed...
, which it resembles, giving the hybrid C. × variabile Aellen.
Domestication
Chenopodium berlandieri is one of the few plants that was domesticated in the prehistoric and Woodland periodWoodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
in eastern North America, making it a part of the so-called Eastern Agricultural Complex
Eastern Agricultural Complex
The Eastern Agricultural Complex describes the agricultural practices of the pre-historic Eastern Woodland Native Americans in the eastern United States and Canada. Native Americans domesticated and cultivated many indigenous crops as far west as the Great Plains.-Term:The term Eastern Agricultural...
. There is archaeological evidence that shows that Chenopodium berlandieri was extensively foraged as a wild plant in eastern North America as early as 8,500 BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
(6,500 BCE). By 3700 BP (1700 BCE) the plant had clearly been domesticated as a pseudocereal
Pseudocereal
Pseudocereals are broadleaf plants that are used in much the same way as cereals . Their seed can be ground into flour and otherwise used as cereals. Examples of pseudocereals are amaranth, Love-lies-bleeding, red amaranth, Prince-of-Wales-feather, quinoa, and buckwheat.- Pseudocereals :...
crop. A variety of regional cultivars have even been recovered from various widely separated sites. The oldest evidence for domestication comes in the form of stashes of thin-testa seeds from rock shelters in eastern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The crop ceased to be cultivated in the region by about 1750 CE.
Although cultivation of the species died out in eastern North America, the plant continues to be grown as a domesticated crop in Mexico, though its cultivation has been declining. This cultivated form of the plant is ranked as a subspecies, namely Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae. There are three varieties of the subspecies which are grown as a pseudocereal, as a leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, leafy greens or salad greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots...
, and for its broccoli-like flowering shoots, respectively.
Based on similarities between this modern cultivated form and the archaeological specimens from eastern North America, it was suggested that the species was first domesticated in Mexico and later brought to upper North America. There is currently no archaeological evidence to support this position, with some experts even suggesting that the crop may have been absent from Mexico until the 16th century CE. Genetic studies have shown that wild eastern North American plants and the Mexican cultivated forms have considerable genetic distance between them. This has been interpreted as indicating a later second domestication event in Mexico.