Goosefoot Family

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Economic Plant Photographs #31

Beets & Swiss Chard, Lamb's Quarters,
Quinoa, Spinach, Purslane and Amaranth

Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae)

Two varieties of beets Beta vulgaris: A. Garden Beet and B. Swiss Chard. The sweet, nourishing taproot of beets (lower right) and the tender, colorful leaves of swiss chard (right) are excellent vegetables for a healthy diet. Actually the leaves of beets can also be cooked as greens. Sugar beets are another economically important variety with taproots harvested for table sugar (sucrose).

Two varieties of beets Beta vulgaris in a vegetable garden: Garden beet (left) and Swiss chard (right). The sweet, nourishing taproot of beets and the tender, vitamin-rich leaves of swiss chard are excellent vegetables for a healthy diet. They are relatively easy to grow in composted soils.

Fresh and steamed spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea), a chlorophyll-rich vegetable that is a good source of iron and folic acid. In fact, according to B.B. Simpson and M.C. Ogorzaly (Plants In Our World, 1995), spinach is second only to liver in its folic acid content. Folic acid is an important vitamin necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids (chromosome replication) in rapidly dividing cells, such as blood cells. Whether the famous cartoon character Popeye® consumed large amounts of spinach for its iron content or folic acid is debatable; however, it is doubtful that this vegetable could cause enlarged forearms or be sucked through a tobacco pipe.

In the United States, spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea) are associated with the legendary cartoon character Popeye®. Contrary to some reports, the leaves were not smoked by Popeye®. Instead, the leaves were sucked through his pipe to provide an iron-rich, nourishing food supplement and large forearms.

Popeye® the Sailor:

A stand-up toy featuring Popeye® sitting on a crate of spinach and holding a spoon and fork. The educational toy was designed to encourage children to eat their spinach. It was produced by Wm. Rogers & Son Silverplate (Products of International Silver Co.) in the late 1930s or early 1940s. The cartoon character is from the 1936 King Features Syndicate©

Lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album), an Old Word annual weed that is naturalized throughout North America. It belongs to the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), and like other members of the type genus Chenopodium, the leaves bear a slight resemblance to the foot of a goose. The fresh, tender foliage is gathered and cooked as a pot herb. It is sometimes called wild spinach because the steamed leaves taste like spinach.

Freshly gathered lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album). When steamed, it looks and tastes like spinach greens.

See Another Species Of Chenopodium Used For Soap

The seeds of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) are cooked and eaten like a cereal. This species is indigenous to the Andes of South America, and has been a staple in the diet of many people in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Several varieties are distinguished by the color of the seeds. The seed can be eaten boiled or toasted. It is commonly ground into flour for tortillas or porridge, or is mixed with wheat flour for bread. Like amaranth (see below), quinoa is a nutritious seed crop that resembles cereal grains in flavor and the methods by which it can be cooked. In addition, these South American plants flourish in arid lands and are promising cultivated food crops for other regions of the world.

Purslane Family (Portulacaceae)

Left: Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), a European herb that is naturalized throughout southern California. Although it is considered a weed to most gardeners, it actually makes a tasty steamed vegetable. Right: Close-up view of a purslane leaf showing the prominent green veins. Purslane is a classic C-4 plant in which the chloroplasts are concentrated in bundle sheath cells surrounding the veins.

Left: Close-up view of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) showing several circumscissile seed capsules. The upper half of the fruit (A) dehisces by a faint, pre-cut line around its circumference. The entire top of the capsule (A) separates as a single lid-like section, exposing a cluster of tiny black seeds in the lower cup-shaped half (B). [When a human male is circumcised, the foreskin (prepuce) of the penis is cut in a similar way, exposing the head of the penis.] The seeds have fallen out of the empty cup (C). The large number of seeds in each of the thousands of fruits explains how this European weed has spread rampantly throughout California. Right: Microscopic view showing the circumferential line of dehiscence (red arrow) where the top of capsule breaks away, exposing the cluster of minute black seeds.

Calandrinia spectabilis, a shrubby (perennial) member of the purslane family (Portulacaceae) native to Chile. Like other members of the purslane family, it has two sepals, five petals and many stamens. This drought resistant, succulent species with fleshy leaves is planted in southern California xeriscape gardens. An annual species called red maids (C. ciliata) is native to Central and South America. The lovely California wildflower also called red maids is C. ciliata var. menziesii. Some botanists consider the California and South American populations to be C. ciliata without the varietal status. Although the populations differ vegetatively, their blossoms and fruit are rather uniform.

C- 4 Photosynthesis

During C-4 photosynthesis, CO₂ combines with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to form a 4-carbon organic acid (oxaloacetic acid) which migrates (diffuses) to the photosynthetic bundle sheath cells surrounding the vascular bundles (veins) of the leaf. PEP essentially shuttles the CO₂ to the bundle sheath cells where it is released for the dark reactions (Calvin cycle) of photosynthesis. During hot weather the CO₂ level inside leaves is greatly reduced because the leaf stomata are closed. In ordinary C-3 plants which form a 3-carbon compound (PGA) during the initial steps of the dark reactions, photosynthesis in the leaf shuts down without a sufficient supply of CO₂. C-4 plants have a competitive advantage during hot summer days because they are able to carry on photosynthesis in the bundle sheaths where CO₂ levels are concentrated. C-4 grasses include Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum), corn (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). C-4 grasses and weedy herbs, such as purslane (Portulaca oleracea) and prostrate ground spurges (Chamaesyce), grow rapidly during hot summer days when photosynthesis and growth in C-3 plants shuts down. Although they are mostly found in warm, tropical climates, bamboos all have C-3 photosynthesis.

Read About CAM Photosynthesis In Cacti & Succulents

Amaranth Family (Amaranthaceae)

Close-up view of inflorescence showing
top of capsule (A) and shiny seed (B).

Left: Jataco, achita or quihuicha (Amaranthus caudatus), an edible herb from the Andes of South America. Also known as tassel flower, this species is often cultivated for its showy inflorescence. Right: Magnified view of the inflorescence showing the 3-pronged top of a circumscissile seed capsule (A) which separates as a single lid-like section, exposing a lens-shaped seed (B) that sits vertically (on its edge) in the capsule. The shiny black seeds are about the size of a flea.

Magnified view of the circumscissile capsule and seeds of (Amaranthus caudatus). The shiny black seeds are about the size of a flea. The capsule is subtended by pinkish bracts and sepals.

Jataco, achita or quihuicha (Amaranthus caudatus) is an edible herb from the Andes of South America. Also known as tassel flower, this species is often cultivated for its showy inflorescence. The young, tender leaves are used as a potherb and a red dye from the brightly colored inflorescence is used for coloring ceremonial maize (corn) dishes. This is a prolific seed producer, and the numerous shiny black seeds are ground and made into a meal or flour. There are a number of native and naturalized species of Amaranthus in North and South America. Amaranth seeds were an important South American cereal during pre-Columbian times. Grown by the Aztecs and southwest Indians for millennia, the small seeds are rich in lysine (like legumes) and the young leaves are high in calcium and iron (like spinach). Seeds of several Arizona species (A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus) are ground into a fine meal. The seeds can be cooked whole as a hot cereal or popped in a skillet like popcorn. A water-soluble red dye from the inflorescence is used to color pink maize bread (piki) and in Hopi ceremonial dances. Ground amaranth seeds are also the source of popular breakfast cereals known as "amaranth flakes."

A water-soluble red dye is obtained from the flowers of Amaranthus caudatus and other species of amaranth. The dye is used to color pink corn and in ceremonial dances.

Seeds of amaranth species, including Amaranthus caudatus and A. hybridus are cooked and eaten like a cereal. These species are indigenous to the Andes of South America, and have been a staple in the diet of many people of this region since pre-Columbian times. The seed is eaten in the same way as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa). It is boiled, toasted or ground into flour for tortillas or porridge. Like amaranth (see above), quinoa is a nutritious seed crop that resembles cereal grains in flavor and the methods by which it can be cooked. Unlike cereals of the grass family (Poaceae), amaranth seeds are rich in the amino acid lysine. In addition, these South American plants flourish in arid lands and are promising cultivated food crops for other regions of the world. Several species are commonly grown as a seed crop by native Americans of southern Arizona and Mexico, including A. cruentus, A. powellii, and A. hypochondriacus.

Two alternative crops that can be prepared and eaten like cereal grains. Left: Amaranth seeds (possibly Amaranthus hybridus) and quinoa seeds (Chenopodium quinoa). The seeds are about the body size of an ordinary dog flea, approximately 2 mm in diameter.

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