Chenopodium murale
Click on each image to see a larger version and details of the record
Image 1
Stem, leaves and inflorescence
10 Apr 2009
Image 2
Inflorescence
10 Apr 2009
Image 3
Leaves and inflorescence
01 May 2011
Image 4
Inflorescence
01 May 2011
Image 5
Stem, leaves and inflorescence
16 Dec 2008
| Family: | Chenopodiaceae |
| Full name: | Chenopodium murale L. |
| ID status: | Fairly certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | Muurhondebossie, Muurhondebos, Koringlandhondebos, Kruitbos, Misbredie, Twaklandhondebos |
| English common name(s): | Nettle-leaved goosefoot |
| Synonym(s): | Chenopodium murale L. var. murale Chenopodium murale var. albescens Moq. Chenopodium murale var. microphyllum Boiss. Chenopodium murale var. paucidentatum Beck Chenopodium murale var. spissidentatum Murray Chenopodium longidjawense Peter Chenopodium murale var. acutidentatum Aellen Chenopodium guineense Jacq. (1789) |
| Status: | Alien |
| Description: | Annual normally much-branched herb up to 3 ft. high, with mostly rhombic-ovate leaves and minute greenish flowers in divaricately branched leafy cymes. (from JSTOR website / Flora of West Tropical Africa) Annual up to 0.9 m high, usually much branched, mealy, especially on young parts, but rarely densely so, rarely red tinged. Leaves variable, commonly rhombic to ovate, rarely narrower, (15–)25–60(–90) x (8–)14–42(–70) mm, tip acute, base cuneate, decurrent into winged petiole 16–25 mm long, margins with 5–15 coarse irregular, usually sharp teeth on each side. Inflorescences leafy, with divaricately branched cymes up to 5 cm long, terminal and from upper axils. Flowers 1–1.5 mm in diam. Perianth segments 5, papillose on margins and outside and with short blunt longitudinal keel towards tip. Stamens 5. Perianth shed with fruit; pericarp very difficult to detach from seed. Seeds 1.2–1.5 mm in diam., black, somewhat shining, acutely keeled; testa with dense microscopic rounded pits. (from JSTOR website / Flora Somalia) Stem ascending up to 1.5 ft. high, sulcate, branched; leaves ovate or deltoid, up to 3 in. long and 1.5 in. wide (usually smaller in South African specimens), coarsely and unequally toothed, acute, cuneate at the base, rather thin, bright pale green on both surfaces, pulverulent above; petiole slender, rather shorter than the blade; cymes axillary, usually shorter than the leaves; flowers sessile, 0.5 lin. in diam.; perianth-segments elliptic, obtuse, slightly pulverulent outside, faintly keeled, closed over the fruit; stamens exserted; anthers minute, globose; seed lenticular, acute at the margin, dark brown or almost black, 0.75 lin. in diam.; embryo annular. (from JSTOR website / Flora Capensis) Annual up to 90 cm high, upright or spreading, normally much branched, green, rarely red-tinged, with mealy hairs especially on young parts but rarely densely clothed. Leaves variable, commonly rhombic-ovate in outline, rarely narrower, (0.7) 1.5–9 x (0.4) 0.8–5 (7) cm, without any tendency for especially prominent basal lobes, but with several coarse irregular ascending usually sharp teeth (about 5–15 on each margin, rarely fewer). Inflorescences leafy, composed of divericately branching cymes up to 5 cm long, terminal and from upper and sometimes median axils. Flowers greenish, minute, about 1–1.5 mm in diam. Perianth segments 5, papillose on margins and outside, each with a blunt raised green keel towards apex only. Stamens 5. Pericarp very difficult to detach from seed. Seeds black, somewhat shining, 1.2–1.5 mm in diam., acutely keeled; testa (seen under microscope) marked with very close minute rounded pits. (from JSTOR website / Flora Zambesiaca) |
| Link(s) |
African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iSpot Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia |
| Content last updated: | 13 Oct 2012 |
