Chenopodium album – “Lambsquarters”

Family: Goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae)
Bloom Period: Jun-Oct
Form: Annual herb
Habitat: Roadsides, in abandoned fields and other human-disturbed areas
Leaves: Goosefoot-shaped; alternate
Translation: “Chenopodium” is Greek for “goose foot,” which refers to the shape of the leaves; “album” is Latin for white, which perhaps describes the flowers.
Notes: An Old World plant that accompanied the European Conquest and, like the human invaders, is now widespread across North America. The leaves are edible, making a decent stand-in for spinach in cooked dishes such as calzone. Lambsquarters flowers are tiny and wind-pollinated. Quinoa, the super nutritious South American grain bred by the Incas, is a closely related plant, also in the Chenopodium genus.
Native American Uses: Native Americans from the Arctic to Mexico adopted this plant, eating the greens and seeds, and finding various medicinal uses for it, more than can be listed here.
Animal Associations: Larval food plant for the Western Pygmy-Blue butterfly.