CHENOPODIACEiE. 15 



from the abundance of mealy powder, the upper side more thinly 

 sprinkled with it; stem striped with green or reddish. Leaves often 

 turning red at the margins when they wither. 



Yars. /3 and 7 are usually larger plants, often 2 to 3 feet high or 

 more, much deeper green, more branched, and with the branches less 

 erect ; the glomerules much more distant, and in much longer spikes. 



The C. paganum of lleichenbach appears to me to bear the same 

 relation to his C. viride that the two varieties of C. polyspermum 

 bear to each other ; but C. viride has usually the margins of the 

 calyces more scarious and pale, more mealy, the seeds larger, and 

 the leaves more entire. 



I believe var. a may prove a subspecies distinct from vars. /3 

 and 7, which pass gradually into each other, but as I have not had 

 an opportunity of testing its constancy by cultivation, I defer to the 

 authority of the majority of botanists by arranging it as a variety. 

 'The var. paganum is the only one I have raised from seed, and it 

 invariably comes up true. Professor Boreau says that C. album, 

 paganum, and viride all invariably reproduce themselves from seed. 



White Goosefoot. 



French, Anserine hlancJie, German, Gemeiner Gdnsefuss. 



TIae White Goosefoot, or Wild Orache, or Fat Hen, as it is often called, is an abundant 

 annual weed in almost every garden and field. Wherever garden ground is allowed to 

 run to waste or neglected for any time, there this troublesome plant is sure to appear, 

 and multiplying rapidly by seed, soon covers the land. It is usually only regarded 

 as an unwelcome intruder, but it may easily be employed as a useful potherb, and in 

 some parts of our island is commonly boiled and eaten as a vegetable, 



SPECIES IV.-CHENOPODIUM PICIPOLIUM. Sm. 



Plate MCXCI. 



C. serotinum, Huds. Fl. Angl. p. 106 (non Linn.'). 



C. viride. Curt. Fl. Lond. fasc. ii. PI. XVI. 



C. album, var. Bentli. Handbk. Brit. Fl, ed. ii. p. 388. 



Stem erect, more or less branched, straight ; branches ascending. 

 Leaves oblong or subrhombic-oblong, hastate, with the cusps ascend- 

 ing, wedgeshaped at the base, subobtuse, usually sinuate -dentate or 

 sinuate-serrate, with the lowest tooth (except in the upper leaves) much 

 larger than the others, and sometimes the only one present ; upper 

 leaves oblong or oblong-shaped, often entire. Flowers in rather 

 small glomerules, arranged in rather long lax ascending slightly 

 compound spikes or in small cymes ; in either case sparingly leafy 

 towards the base; spikes or cymes collected into slender or sub- 

 pyramidal panicles, which are sparingly leafy, except at the aj^ex, 

 which is commonly leafless. Calyx segments keeled on the back, 

 wholly herbaceous, nearly covering the fruit. Seeds all horizontal, 



