Chenopodium acuminatum

Willd.

Jian tou ye li

AmaranthaceaeLeavesSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds

The leaves can be eaten cooked and work well as a spinach substitute, with a mild flavour. Raw leaves should be eaten in small quantities only. The small black seed, about 1mm in diameter, is rich in protein and can be cooked or ground into a flour for use in bread and similar foods, though its small size makes it somewhat fiddly to work with. Before use, the seed should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed to remove saponins.

Known Hazards

The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish. The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food, but, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plant will reduce its oxalic acid content. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate and subtropical plant. It grows on wastelands, riverbanks, and field margins; It grows in Inner Mongolia.

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, SE Asia, Siberia, Taiwan, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

An annual herb. It grows 20-80 cm tall. The stems are erect and much branched. The leaves are narrowly oval and 2-4 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. The flowers are in round scattered groups in the upper parts of the branches. They are reddish. The seeds are black and 1 mm across.

How to Grow

We have very little information on this species and do not know how well it will grow in Britain, but it should succeed as a spring sown annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade. It prefers a moderately fertile soil.

Propagation: Sow seed in spring in situ. Most seed typically germinates within a few days of sowing.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

Gold and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant.

Wikipedia

An annual growing to 0.6 m tall with hermaphroditic flowers wind-pollinated from July to October. Seeds ripen August to October. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with mildly acid to basic pH. Cannot tolerate shade and prefers moist soil.

Notes

There are about 120 Chenopodium species. They are mostly in temperate regions. Also put in the family Chenopodiaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Gurbalzin noil, Hui cai, Kinhgioi nhon, Nonin nuil

Agathophytum acuminatum SchurChenopodium vachelii Hook. & Arn.Chenopodium virgatum Thunb.

References (8)

Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin Neue Schriften 2:124, t. 5, fig. 2. 1799
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of wild edible plants in Mongolian cuisine
Khasbagan, Hu-Yin Huai, and Sheng-Ji pei, 2000, Wild Plants in the Diet of Athorchin Mongol Herdsmen in Inner Mongolia. Economic Botany 54(4): 528-536
Khasbagan, Yeruhan and Zhao Hui, 2011, Study on Traditional Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants Used by the Mongolians in Xilingol Typical Steppe Area. Plant Diversity and Resources. 33(2): 239-246
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/ (Also as Chenopodium virgatum)
Sachula, et al, 2020, Wild edible plants collected and consumed by the locals in Daqinggou, Inner Mongolia, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2020) 16:60
www.eFloras.org Flora of China
Zhu Gelin (Chu Ge-ling); Steven E. Clemants, CHENOPODIACEAE [Draft], Flora of China