Blitum californicum
Blitum californicum[1] (syn. Chenopodium californicum) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names California goosefoot and (ambiguously) "Indian lettuce".
| Blitum californicum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Blitum |
| Species: | B. californicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Blitum californicum | |
| Synonyms | |
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It is native to California and Baja California where it can be found below 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in open areas in a number of habitat types, such as grassland, chaparral, desert, and montane.[2]
Description
This is a perennial herb producing a number of decumbent to erect stems which approach a meter in maximum height when growing upright. It grows from a thick, fleshy caudex. When there are many stems the plant may form a clump or mat. The leaves grow on long petioles and are triangular or arrowhead-shaped and up to about 10 centimeters long. The edges are deeply and sharply toothed.[3]
The inflorescences are spherical clusters dotted along an inflorescence-like spike. Each dense cluster contains several rounded flowers, with each flower a series of flat lobes covering the developing fruit. The fruit is a reddish utricle layered around the surface of the seed.
Uses
California goosefoot was used for a variety of purposes by Native Americans including use as a medicine and a source of soap, in addition to the use of the seeds for flour and the leaves and shoots as a cooked vegetable.[4]
References
- Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Pertti Uotila, Thomas Borsch: A novel phylogeny-based generic classification for Chenopodium sensu lato, and a tribal rearrangement of Chenopodioideae (Chenopodiaceae). In: Willdenowia 42, 2012, p. 18.
- Wilken, Dieter H. (1993). "Chenopodium californicum". In Hickman, James C. (ed.). The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University and Jepson Herbaria.
- USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Blitum californicum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
- "Native American Ethnobotany". University of Michigan - Dearborn. Archived from the original (Database) on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
External links
- Calflora
- Jepson eFlora, The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley
- Chenopodium californicum in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
