e-Key v3 - Chenopodium
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Chenopodiaceae - Chenopodioideae - Chenopodieae - Chenopodium L.

Description :

  • Annual, biennial or rarely short-lived perennial herbs, rarely becoming woody, with white vesicular or glandular hairs, or rarely glabrous; stems erect to ascending or prostrate, usually grooved or angular, yellowish, green or green-striped, sometimes red to purple, especially in branch and leaf axils; plants gynomonoecious
  • Leaves alternate, flat and mostly broad, entire or pinnatifid, membranous to ± fleshy, mostly petiolate
  • Inflorescences mostly cymose glomerulate clusters, variously arranged, axillary and terminal, spiciform or paniculate; ebracteate
  • Flowers small, often dimorphic; terminal flowers bisexual or male; lateral flowers usually female
  • Tepals (3)4 or 5, often keeled or winged, sometimes with fringed appendages, in fruit rarely becoming succulent or basally indurated
  • Stamens 1-5, usually free, hypogynous or subperigynous; filaments sometimes connate at base
  • Disc 0 or annular
  • Ovary horizontally flattened; ovule subsessile; style usually 0; stigmas 2-5, slender, free or sometimes connate below
  • Fruit enclosed in perianth; pericarp membranous, indehiscent, free or adherent to seed
  • Seed usually horizontal, oblique or vertical; testa normally thin, hard and brittle; endosperm present; embryo annular
  • x = 9 (8) (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Chenopodium L.
    • Linnaeus: 218 (1753)
    • Linnaeus: 103 (1754)
    • Thunberg: 245 (1823)
    • Volkens: 60 (1892)
    • Baker & Clarke: 77 (1909)
    • Wright: 435 (1910)
    • Aellen: 337 (1928)
    • Brenan: 2 (1954)
    • Brenan: 165 (1956)
    • Aellen: 569 (1960)
    • Brenan: 92 (1964)
    • Aellen: 7 (1967)
    • Scott: 205 (1978)
    • Wilson: 139 (1983)
    • Brenan: 136 (1988)
    • Friis & Gilbert: 128 (1993)
    • Kühn: 266 (1993)
    • Uotila: 24 (1997)
  • Blitum L.
    • Linnaeus: 4 (1753)
  • Roubieva Moq.
    • Moquin-Tandon: 289 (1834)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 150, cosmopolitan, ranging from temperate to tropical regions, often weedy
  • Southern Africa : Species 23, probably mostly introduced, widespread

References:

  • AELLEN, P. 1928. Die Chenopodium -Arten des südlichen und mittleren Afrika. Feddes Repertorium 24
  • AELLEN, P. 1960. Chenopodiaceae . In G. Hegi, Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa , edn 2, 3(2)
  • AELLEN, P. 1967. Chenopodiaceae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 32
  • BAKER, J.G. & CLARKE, C.B. 1909. Chenopodiaceae . Flora of tropical Africa 6,1
  • BRENAN, J.P.M. 1954. Flora of tropical East Africa . Chenopodiaceae
  • BRENAN, J.P.M. 1956. A new section of the genus Chenopodium from Africa. Kew Bulletin l956
  • BRENAN, J.P.M. 1964. Chenopodiaceae . Chenopodium . Flora europaea 1
  • BRENAN, J.P.M. 1988. Chenopodiaceae . Flora zambesiaca 9,1
  • FRIIS, I. & GILBERT, M.G. 1993. Chenopodiaceae . Flora of Somalia 1
  • KÜHN, U. 1993. Chenopodiaceae . In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1753. Species plantarum : 4, 218. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1754. Genera plantarum , edn 5. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • MOQUIN-TANDON, C.H.B.A. 1834. Descriptions de plusieurs nouveaux genres de Chenopodées. Annales des sciences naturelles; botanique sér. 2,1
  • SCOTT, A.J. 1978. A review of the classification of Chenopodium L. and related genera ( Chenopodiaceae ). Botanische Jahrbücher 100
  • THUNBERG, C.P. 1823. Salsola & Chenopodium . Flora capensis . Cotta, Stuttgardt
  • UOTILA, P. 1997. Chenopodiaceae . Chenopodium . Flora iranica 172
  • VOLKENS, G. 1892. Chenopodiaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3,1a
  • WILSON, P.G. 1983. A taxonomic revision of the tribe Chenopodieae ( Chenopodiaceae ) in Australia. Nuytsia 4
  • WRIGHT, C.H. 1910-1912. Chenopodiaceae . Flora capensis 5,1

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