Upright goosefoot (Chenopodium urbicum)
Other names city goosefoot
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Exposure
- Full sun
Cultivation
An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.
Edible uses
Young leaves - cooked. A spinach substitute. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked. A millet substitute, it can also be ground into a powder and used with cereal flours in making bread etc. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.
Material uses
Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant.
Habitat
Waste ground and arable land, especially by manure heaps in Britain.
Native range
Europe. Possibly native of Britain.
Scientific synonyms Oxybasis urbica