Chenopodium

# Overview
Chenopodium is a genus of about 150 species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifications separate it and its relatives as Chenopodiaceae, but this leaves the rest of the Amaranthaceae polyphyletic. However, among the Amaranthaceae, the genus Chenopodium is the namesake member of the subfamily Chenopodioideae. The genus Dysphania is closely related, and contains several species formerly placed in Chenopodium, such as epazote (D. ambrosioides).
In Australia, the larger Chenopodium species are among the plants called "bluebushes". Chualar in California is named after a Native American term for a goosefoot abundant in the region, probably the California goosefoot (C. californicum).

# Uses and ecology
The genus Chenopodium contains several plants of minor to moderate importance as food crops as leaf vegetables  used like the closely related spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and similar plants called quelite in Mexico  and pseudocereals. These include white goosefoot (C. album), Good King Henry (C. bonus-henricus), strawberry blite (C. capitatum), leafy goosefoot (C. foliosum), kaniwa (C. pallidicaule) and quinoa (C. quinoa). On the Greek island of Crete, tender shoots and leaves of a species called krouvida () or psarovlito () are eaten by the locals, boiled or steamed. As studied by Kristen Gremillion and others, goosefoots have a history of culinary use dating back to 4000 BC or earlier, when pitseed goosefoot (C. berlandieri) was a staple crop in the Native American eastern agricultural complex, and white goosefoot was apparently used by the Erteblle culture of Europe.
There is increased interest in particular in goosefoot seeds today, which are suitable as part of a gluten-free diet. Quinoa oil, extracted from the seeds of C. quinoa, has similar properties, but is superior in quality, to corn oil. Oil of chenopodium is extracted from the seeds of epazote, which is not in this genus anymore. Shagreen leather was produced in the past using the small, hard goosefoot seeds. C. album was one of the main model organisms for the molecular biological study of chlorophyllase.
Goosefoot pollen, in particular of the widespread and usually abundant C. album, is an allergen to many people and a common cause of hay fever. The same species, as well as some others, have seeds which are able to persist for years in the soil seed bank. Many goosefoot species are thus significant weeds, and some have become invasive species.
Certain species grow in large thickets, providing cover for small animals. Goosefoot foliage is used as food by the caterpillars of certain Lepidoptera. The seeds are eaten by many birds, such as the yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) of Europe or the white-winged fairy-wren (Malurus leucopterus) of Australia. Goosefoot pathogens include the positive-sense ssRNA viruses - apple stem grooving virus, sowbane mosaic virus and tobacco necrosis virus.

# Selected species
- Chenopodium acuminatum Willd.
- Chenopodium album  white goosefoot, nickel greens, dungweed, bathua, chandali, chandaliya, fat hen, lamb's quarters, pigweed
Chenopodium album ssp. amaranticolor
- Chenopodium album ssp. amaranticolor
- Chenopodium atrovirens  dark goosefoot, pinyon goosefoot
- Chenopodium auricomiforme
- Chenopodium auricomum  Queensland bluebush
- Chenopodium berlandieri  pitseed goosefoot, southern huauzontle, lambsquarters
Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae (Saff.) H.D.Wilson & Heiser
Chenopodium berlandieri var. bushianum
Chenopodium berlandieri var. zschackii
- Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. nuttalliae (Saff.) H.D.Wilson & Heiser
- Chenopodium berlandieri var. bushianum
- Chenopodium berlandieri var. zschackii
- Chenopodium bonus-henricus  Good King Henry, perennial goosefoot, poor-man's asparagus, Lincolnshire spinach, markery
- Chenopodium bushianum  village goosefoot
- Chenopodium californicum  California goosefoot, Indian lettuce
- Chenopodium capitatum  strawberry blite, blite goosefoot, strawberry goosefoot, strawberry spinach, Indian paint, Indian ink
- Chenopodium chenopodioides  small red Goosefoot, saltmarsh goosefoot
- Chenopodium curvispicatum
- Chenopodium cycloides
- Chenopodium desertorum  desert goosefoot
Chenopodium desertorum ssp. anidiophyllum
Chenopodium desertorum ssp. desertorum
Chenopodium desertorum ssp. microphyllum
Chenopodium desertorum ssp. rectum
Chenopodium desertorum ssp. virosum
- Chenopodium desertorum ssp. anidiophyllum
- Chenopodium desertorum ssp. desertorum
- Chenopodium desertorum ssp. microphyllum
- Chenopodium desertorum ssp. rectum
- Chenopodium desertorum ssp. virosum
- Chenopodium desiccatum  narrowleaf goosefoot
- Chenopodium erosum R.Br.
- Chenopodium ficifolium  fig-leaved goosefoot, small goosefoot
- Chenopodium foggii  Fogg's goosefoot
- Chenopodium foliosum  leafy goosefoot
- Chenopodium fremontii  Fremont's goosefoot
- Chenopodium giganteum D.Don  tree spinach
- Chenopodium glaucum  oak-leaved goosefoot, glaucous goosefoot
- Chenopodium helenense Aellen
- Chenopodium hians  Hians goosefoot
- Chenopodium hircinum Schrad.
- Chenopodium humile  marshland goosefoot
- Chenopodium hybridum  maple-leaved goosefoot, sowbane
- Chenopodium incanum  mealy goosefoot
- Chenopodium leptophyllum  narrowleaf goosefoot
- Chenopodium littoreum
- Chenopodium missouriense  Missouri goosefoot (sometimes considered a variety of C. album)
- Chenopodium murale  nettle-leaved goosefoot
- Chenopodium nitrariaceum (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth.  nitre goosefoot
- Chenopodium nuttalliae  huauzontle
- Chenopodium oahuense  Template:OkinaAheahea (])
- Chenopodium opulifolium Schrad. ex W.D.J.Koch  grey goosefoot
- Chenopodium pallidicaule  kaniwa
- Chenopodium polyspermum  many-seeded goosefoot
Chenopodium polyspermum var. acutifolium
- Chenopodium polyspermum var. acutifolium
- Chenopodium pratericola Rydb.  pale goosefoot, desert goosefoot, narrowleaf goosefoot
- Chenopodium probstii Aellen
- Chenopodium purpurascens  purple goosefoot
- Chenopodium quinoa  quinoa
- Chenopodium retusum
- Chenopodium rubrum  red goosefoot, coastblite goosefoot
- Chenopodium salinum  Rocky Mountain goosefoot
- Chenopodium simplex  giantseed goosefoot
- Chenopodium standleyanum  Standley's goosefoot
- Chenopodium strictum Roth
- Chenopodium subglabrum  smooth arid goosefoot, smooth goosefoot
- Chenopodium suecicum  green goosefoot
- Chenopodium truncatum
- Chenopodium urbicum  upright goosefoot
- Chenopodium  variabile (C. album  C. berlandieri)
- Chenopodium vulvaria  stinking goosefoot, notchweed
- Chenopodium watsonii  Watson's goosefoot
Formerly placed here:
- Dysphania, all glandular species (as C. botrys, C. carinatum, C. cristatum, C. melanocarpum, C. multifidium, C. pumilio and more)
- Rhagodia baccata  berry saltbush (as C. baccatum)
- Suaeda australis  austral seablite (as C. australe, C. insulare)
ar:
az:Tr
ca:Quenopodi
da:Gasefod
de:Gansefue
et:Hanemalts
el:
hsb:Polsica
it:Chenopodium
he:-
ka:
kk:
lt:Balanda
hu:Libatop
nl:Ganzenvoet
qu:Ayara
fi:Savikat
sv:Mallor