lambsquarters

Chenopodium album L.

Lambsquarters is a plant of small, repeated structures rather than conspicuous petals. Its tiny flowers gather into rounded clusters that combine into branching or spike-like arrays. A pale, floury coating on young growth and the undersides of leaves is one of its familiar features. The plant completes its life cycle as an annual, but its stature can vary greatly. Flora of North America: Chenopodium album

Botanical name

Kew accepts Chenopodium album L.; regional floras warn that the traditional broad species concept includes a difficult complex of related forms. Kew POWO: Chenopodium album Flora of China: Chenopodium album

Recognizing the plant

Stems may stand erect or spread outward, and can be sparsely or heavily branched. Leaves range from broad, diamond-like outlines to narrower shapes; their margins may be toothed, wavy or nearly smooth. Individual flowers commonly have five small perianth segments. The mature seeds are dark, flattened and roughly lens-shaped, only about a millimeter across. These modest features are more useful than one rigid expectation of height or leaf shape. Flora of North America: Chenopodium album

Native range

It is widespread in disturbed ground, fields and roadsides. Flora of North America treats it as introduced and probably chiefly European in origin; Kew uses a broader native-range treatment. The global boundary is complicated by differing species circumscriptions. Kew POWO: Chenopodium album Flora of North America: Chenopodium album Flora of China: Chenopodium album

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.