Chenopodium virgatum — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Seed

Leaves - cooked. A spinach substitute. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder, mixed with wheat or other cereals and used in making bread etc. The small black seed is about 1mm in diameter, it is somewhat fiddly to utilize. It should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any 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. 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

E. Asia - China, Japan.

Coming Soon

How to Identify

Chenopodium virgatum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

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.This species is closely related to C. acuminatum and is seen as no more than a sub-species by many botanists. 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: Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.

Other Uses

Dye. Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant.