376 THE GOOSEFOOT FAMILY. [ Chenopodium, 
erect, branching annual, 1 to 2 or 3 feet high, green and glabrous, Leaves 
like those of Spinach, rather thick, stalked, ovate, coarsely toothed, sinuate 
or with a few broad lobes, the larger ones 2 or 3 inches long and broadly 
cordate at the base, the upper ones narrower. Clusters of flowers in forked 
cymes, forming a loose terminal panicle, scarcely leafy at the base, Perianth 
green, leaving a considerable part of the fruit exposed. 
In cultivated and waste places, dispersed over Europe, central and 
Russian Asia, and North America. In Britain it occurs rarely, and only 
in England as a weed of cultivation. Fl. summer and autumn. 
9, C. Bonus-Henricus, Linn, (fig. 849). Perennial Goosefoot, Good — 
King Henry, Aligood.—Distinguished from all the preceding by its 
perennial stock, with a thick, fleshy root, like that of a Rumea. Stems 
about a foot high, scarcely branched. Leaves like those of Spinach, stalked, 
broadly triangular, often above 3 inches long, sinuate or slightly toothed, 
rather thick, and of a dark green; the upper ones smaller, and nearly 
sessile, Flowers numerous, in clustered spikes, forming a narrow terminal 
panicle, slightly leafy at the base. Fruit completely concealed by the 
perianth. Seeds vertical. 
On waste ground, near villages and sheepfolds, in the mountain districts 
of Europe and Russian Asia, except the extreme north. In Britain, chiefly 
on roadsides, near villages and dwellings, but in many places introduced 
only, having been formerly much cultivated as a potherb, 7. spring and 
all summer, 
V. BETA. BEET. 
Inflorescence and flowers of Chenopodium, except that each flower has 
8 small bracts at its base, and that the ovary and fruit are immersed in 
the succulent base of the perianth, which thickens and hardens as it ripens, 
becoming angular, and often toothed or prickly. 3 | 
The species are very few, extending along the coasts of Europe, western 
Asia, and Africa. 
1, B. maritima, Linn. (fig. 850). Common Beet.—The wild Beet 
has a short, hard stock of a few years’ duration, with erect or spreading ~ 
branched stems about 2 feet high. Lower leaves large, broad, rather 
thick, and green, the upper ones small and narrow. Flowers green like 
those of Chenopodium, single or clustered, in long, loose, terminal spikes, 
often branching into a leafy {panicle. The ripe perianth forms a hard 
angular, often prickly mass, enclosing a single horizontal seed like that of 
a Chenopodium. ) 
On rocks, and in muddy sands by the seashore, in Europe, western Asia, 
and northern Africa, extending northwards to the Baltic. Not uncommon 
on the British coasts, south of Fife and Argyle. Fl. summer and autumn. 
The white and red Beets, and the Mangel Wurzel (Root of Scarcity), are 
cultivated varieties of this species. 
VI. ATRIPLEX. ORACHE. 
Herbs or undershrubs, often covered with a grey or white scaly meal ; 
the leaves flat and alternate, or the lower ones rarely opposite. Flowers 
