Chenopodium pratericola Rydb.
- Dataset
- Chenopodiaceae - Fumariaceae (Chenopodium)
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Plantae
- phylum
- Tracheophyta
- class
- Magnoliopsida
- order
- Caryophyllales
- family
- Amaranthaceae
- genus
- Chenopodium
- species
- Chenopodium pratericola
biology_ecology
Biology. In contrast to many other casual Chenopodium species apparently sometimes setting seed in Norden, especially in the southern parts.
description
Therophyte (summer-annual). Up to 1 m, young stems, inflorescences and lower surfaces of leaves usually conspicuously grey-farinose. Stem subangular, striped with green, without red colour, usually erect, branched in the middle and upper parts. Leaves with petiole up to 1 (- 1.5) cm; blade narrowly elliptic-ovate to narrowly trullate or lanceolate (wider leaves with a lobe-like tooth c. 1 / 3 from the base on one or both margins), 3 - 5 (- 6) x 0.4 - 1.5 (- 2.5) cm; base gradually tapering to the petiole; apex obtuse to acute, usually apiculate to mucronate; margin entire. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, panicle-like; glomerules small. Flowers mostly bisexual. Tepals 5, densely farinose, not covering the fruit at maturity, keeled, with wide membranous margin and + / - obtuse apex. Stamens 5. Stigmas 2, c. 0.5 mm. Nut falling with the perianth; pericarp fairly easily detached. Seed horizontal, orbicular in outline, 0.8 - 1.1 mm; edge rounded; seed-coat black, glossy, rugulose. - Autumn. [2 n = 18]
discussion
Taxonomy. Chenopodium pratericola is the most widespread member of a critical North American group of narrow-leaved species. There are different views on how this group is best treated taxonomically. In the narrow sense G pratericola has fairly large, thin leaf-blades which are fairly sparsely farinose on the upper surface and have 1 or 2 prominent, lobe-like teeth in the basal half, and moderately strongly keeled tepals. The closely related G desiccatum (less weedy, with a more limited distribution in W North America) has thicker, more farinose, entire leaves and more strongly keeled tepals. Many Nordic specimens (especially small ones) have extremely narrow leaves without teeth; there are plants which are very farinose on stems, leaves and tepals as well as ones which are only a little farinose. Possibly different taxa have occurred in Norden, but because the specimens are usually in vegetative or early flowering state they cannot be determined with certainty. For this reason G pratericola must be taken in a wide sense here. Nomenclatural confusion has also occurred; the name C. leptophyllum has often been used for the species occurring in Norden, but belongs to a different species which is also related to C. pratericola. - If G desiccatum and C. pratericola prove to be conspecific the oldest name for the taxon is C desiccatum A. Nelson from 1902. Similar taxa. Chenopodium pratericola is similar to narrow-leaved forms of the following species: G album (15), C striatiforme (17), C strictum (18) and C. virgatum (rare casual); however, these species are less silvery, the leaf apex is obtuse to acute (sometimes mucronate but not apiculate), and the stem is often red-tinged. Further, in these taxa the seeds are either broadly ovate in outline or larger (C. album).
distribution
Distribution and habitat. A casual grain and cotton alien mainly recorded from ports, tips and chicken-runs; now very rarely seen. - D first record from 1894; NJy Thisted 1928, Alborg several records 1933 - 57, OJy c. 5 localities, latest Arhus 1972, SJy Abenra 1939, FyL 3 localities, latest Svendborg 1961, Sjce 15 localities, mainly in the Kobenhavn area, latest Hvidovre 1975, LFM 4 localities, latest Stubbekobing 1963. N fairly many records from mills and poultry farms in 0 f, Ak, from VA to Ho, and in STSkaun, first in the 1920 ' s; also on ballast in Ak Oslo 1903, 1905 and again in 1969 (from seed bank). S Sk at least 13 localities, latest Landskrona 1968, Bl Karlskrona 1938, Klm Kalmar 1921, Smi Bergunda 1924, Joenkoeping 1922, 1926, Kaelleryd 1926, Hl 5 localities, last Hanhals 1959, BhG c. 15 localities 1920 ' s- 50 ' s, Goeteborg 1989, Vg Bjoerketorp 1932, Oeg Norrkoeping 1908, Sund 1930, Srm Eskilstuna 1999, Nykoeping several records 1906 - 21 (with cotton), Nacka several records 1894 - 1932, Salem 1919, Upl several localities around Stockholm and Uppsala, last 1952, Jaerlasa 1923, Norrtaelje 1925, Gst Gaevle several records 1919 - 29, His Hudiksvall 1953, Mpd Skoen 1911, Sundsvall 1922,7 L Abisko 1927. A report from Vrm (Anonymous 1994) is due to misidentification. F first recorded 1904 but mainly in the period 1948 - 55; later on infrequent; c. 50 records from c. 20 places north to OP, more than half from Helsinki and Turku. I INo Akureyri 1950. North America; a fairly frequent incomer in Europe.
materials_examined
- Type: USA, Kansas, Riley Co. 2. VIII. 1895, J. B. Norton 436 (NY) holotype.
Name
- Homonyms
- Chenopodium pratericola Rydb.