108 



CHENOPODIACEAE (GOOSEFOOT FAMILY) 



Wherever this plant is established as a 

 weed it has usually first been cultivated in 

 gardens for its bright coloring in autumn. 

 It is becoming increasingly common, par- 

 ticularly on the prairies, where the winds 

 carry it far on the unrestricted levels, for 

 its rounded, compact growth makes it a 

 tumbleweed. Its name of "Mexican fire- 

 weed" is a misnomer, for it is an immigrant 

 from Europe. 



Stem one to three feet in height, very 

 slender, round, pale green, erect and dif- 

 fusely branching. Leaves very numerous, 

 one to three inches long, pale green, pointed, 

 linear, the upper ones almost thread-like 

 in their narrowness. Flowers sessile in the 

 upper axils, forming short, dense, bracted 

 spikes; calyx five-lobed, each segment 

 bearing a small, triangular wing ; seed 

 coat membranaceous. In autumn the 

 dense foliage turns fiery red, but later 

 the plants become brown and unsightly. 

 (Fig. 65.) 



Means of control the same as for the 

 Winged Pigweed. 



MEXICAN TEA 

 Chenopbdium ambrosioldes, L. 



Other English names: Spanish Tea, Jerusalem Tea, Jesuit Tea, 



Ambrosia. 



Introduced. Annual. Propagates by seeds. 

 Time of bloom : July to September. 

 Seed-time: August to October. 

 Range : Tropical America, northward to Ontario and westward to 



Pacific Coast. 

 Habitat : Old pastures, neglected yards, roadsides, and waste places. 



Most common in the South. 



A strong-scented, unpleasant weed, rejected by all grazing 

 animals, even goats. , Stem two to four feet tall, erect, much 



