Chenopodium polyspermum

All-seed

AmaranthaceaeLeavesSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Nikolay V Dorofeev, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Евгений Феликсович Епифанов Evgeniy F. Epifanov, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds

Leaves can be cooked and used like spinach, though raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities due to toxicity concerns. The seed can be ground into a powder and blended with wheat flour or other cereals for making bread and similar foods. Before use, soak the seed overnight and rinse it thoroughly. The seeds are small and quite fiddly to work with.

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. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid. 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 plant. It grows on waste ground.

Asia, Balkans, Britain, Bulgaria, Europe, Indochina, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, North America, Poland, SE Asia, Slovenia, Turkey, Türkiye, USA, Vietnam,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Switzerland, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Estonia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malta, Maldives, Mexico, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, El Salvador, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A herb. It grows each year from seeds. It can be upright or lie along the ground. The stems are square and often red. The leaves are oval. The flowers are yellow.

How to Grow

An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade. It prefers a moderately fertile soil.

Propagation: Sow seed in spring directly in situ. Most of the 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

Source ↗

Annual herb reaching 0.9 m tall with wind-pollinated hermaphroditic flowers from July to October and seed maturation August to October. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils across mildly acid to basic pH ranges. Requires full sun and moist conditions.

Other Information

It is sold in markets in Turkey.

Notes

There are about 100-150-250 Chenopodium species. They are mostly in temperate regions. Also put in the family Chenopodiaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Komosa, Sirken, Sladak buren.

Anserina betifolia MontandonAtriplex polysperma (L.) CrantzChenopodium acutifolium Sm.Chenopodium angustifolium Gilib.Chenopodium bisaeriale Menyh.Chenopodium marginatum Spreng. ex Hornem.Chenopodium polispermum Neck.and others

References (12)

Cerne, M., 1992, Wild Plants from Slovenia used as Vegetables. Acta Horticulturae 318
Dogan, Y., et al, 2004, The Use of Wild Edible Plants in Western and Central Anatolia (Turkey). Economic Botany 58(4) pp. 684-690
Dogan, Y., 2012, Traditionally used wild edible greens in the Aegean Region of Turkey. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81(4): 329-342
Ertug, F, Yenen Bitkiler. Resimli Türkiye Florası -I- Flora of Turkey - Ethnobotany supplement
Irving, M., 2009, The Forager Handbook, A Guide to the Edible Plants of Britain. Ebury Press p 191
Luczaj, L., 2010, Changes in the utilization of wild green vegetables in Poland since the 19th century: A comparison of four ethnobotanical surveys. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 128 (2010) 395–404
Lukasz, L., 2016, Wild Edible Plants Traditionally Used in Poland.
Morley, B. & Everard, B., 1970, Wild Flowers of the World. Ebury press. Plate 14
Nedelcheva A., 2013, An ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants in Bulgaria. EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 7, 77-94
Paoletti, M.G., Dreon, A.L., and Lorenzoni, G.G., 1995, Pistic, Traditional Food from Western Friuli, NE Italy. Economic Botany 49(1) pp 26-30
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Sp. pl. 1:220. 1753