Chenopodium Rubrum. Small-Seeded Goose-Foot. 
CHENOPODIUM. Unn. Gen. PI. C«. a 5 *. i. lenticulare fuperum 
horizontale calice conniventi teSum. 
CHENOPODIUM. Rati Syn. Gen. 5. Herb^ flore imperfecto seu stamineo (vll ei 
CHENOPODIUM rubrum foliis cordato-triangulari ™ ce ™ is 
pofitis fubfoliofis caule brevioribus. Lmn. byfl. A*/. «*. 13 ; 
%g. Vegetab. cd. 14. Murr. p. 2 61. Sp. Pl. cd. 3. p. 318. FI. huec. ed. 2. p. ,8. 
Light foot v. i. p. 148. Angi. ed. 2. p. 105. 
CHENOPODIUM foliis glabris nitentibus, acute ctrcumdentatis. Hali. Hijt. n. ijOO. 
ATRIPLEX fylv. latifolia. Btmh. Pin . 1 19. 
ATRIPLEX fylveftris III. Maltb. p. 462. „ . _ „ . . „„o f , p„ rl . 
ATRIPLEX lylvellris latifolia five Pes Anferinus. Goofe-Foot. Ger. emac. p. 328. /. 1. -p. 
740. /i 8. 
BLITUM Pes Anferinus dittum. Goofe-Foot or Sow-Bane. Ran Syn. ed. 3. p. 15 4. 
BLITO Pes Anferinus di&o fimilis. Raii Syn. ed. 3. p. 154. t a D .. c ‘ , . 
BLITUM Morifono Atriplex procumbens folio finuato lucido cralio dittum. Ran byn. ea. 3. p. 154. 
Reaarded by Mr. Hudson as a variety of murale. 
RADIX annua, fibrofa. 0 
CAULIS pedalis, bipedalis, et ultra, plerumque ereflus, Q 
inaequaliter ftriatus, laevis, viridis, purpuraf- Y 
cens etiam ruberrimus, nonnuriquam fim- * 
plex, faepius vero ramofus, ramis inferioribus ^ 
patentibus, et haud infrequentet decum- § 
Dentibus. Q 
FOLIA petiolata, fubcarnofa, glabra, nuda, fubtus ve- 0 
nofa, in petiolum decurrentia, finuata, dentata, 0 
dentibus utrinque a bafin fecundis caeteris 9 
plerumque multo majoribus, omnibus acuti- x 
ufculis et faspe rubro marginatis. ^ 
0 
PETIOLI longi, at foliis ipfis breviores. | 
FLORES minimi, fpicati, virides, purpura fcentes, aut 
vivide purpurei, in glomerulis felfilibus fub- ^ 
rotundis denfe collocati, fub fingulo glome- § 
rulo foliolum glomerulo longius, hinc fpicae | 
foliofas evadunt, glomeruli ipfi etiam foliofi 9 
nonnunquam obfervantur. (% 
CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis ovatis, 6 
concavis, patentibus, margine membranaceis, y 
demum claufis, femen includentibus, fig. 1. 9 
COROLLA nulla. ^ 
STAMINA : Filamenta quinque, alba, calyce paulo $ 
longiora; Anther a: flavas, fig. 2. (I 
PISTILLUM : Germen fubovatum, compreflum ; Q> 
Stylus breviflimus ; Stigmata duo, vil- 9 
lofaf patentia, ft. 3. __ ? 
SEMEN minimum, lentiforme, nitidum, faturate fuf- x 
cum, calyce non penitus te&um, Jig. 4. a 
§ 
ROOT annual and fibrous. 
STALK a foot, two feet or more in height, generally 
upright, unevenly filiated, fmooth, green, 
purplilh, or even very red, fometimes fimple, 
but molt commonly branched, the lower 
p branches fpreading and not unfrequently de- 
cumbent. 
LEAVES Handing on footflalks, fomewhat fleffiy, 
fmooth, naked, veiny on the under fide, 
running down the foot-fialk, finuated, toothed, 
the fecond teeth on each fide from the bale 
ufually much larger than the others, all of 
them fomewhat pointed, and often edged 
with red. 
LEAF-STALKS long, but fhorter than the leaves 
themfelves. 
FLOWERS very minute, fpiked, green, purplilh, or 
very bright purple, placed clofe together, in 
fmall roundifh feflile balls, under each little 
ball or duller is placed a fmall leaf, longer 
than the ball itfelf, which gives to the fpilces 
a leafy appearance, the little duffers them- 
felves are fometimes oblerved leafy. 
CALYX: a Perianthium of five leaves, which are 
ovate, concave, fpreading, membranous on 
the edge, finally doling and containing the 
feed, jig. 1 . 
COROLLA none. 
STAMINA : five white Filaments a little longer 
than the calyx; Anthers yellow, 7?^. 2. 
PISTILLUM: Germen fomewhat ovate, flattened, 
Style verylhort; Stigmata two, villous, 
and fpreading, jig. 3. 
SEED very minute, lens-fhaped, finning, of a deep 
brown colour, not wholly covered by the 
“iyx.Ai- 4- 
We have often had occafion to remark, that the more common plants, which grow as it were under our 
feet, are infinitely more difficult to afeertain than thole which are rare ; this arifes in lome from a deficiency 
perhaps of fpecific charafter, but more from that diverfity of appearance which they aflume in confequence 
of growing in foils and fituations widely different: we have always found fludents, and even thofe well vei led 
in plants, at a lofs in making out the different fpecies of Chenopodium, and more especially the prefent fpecies - 
and we fufped that Linnjeus, in his account of it, has in lome degree contributed rather to obfeure than 
elucidate it; in his F/or. Sure. ed. 2. in deferibing it, he fays, caules decumbentes et terra. ■ apprcjfat ; though this 
may be true of it when growing in certain fituations, as in plateis Stockholmia, it is not generally lo- cn 
dunghills, which are frequently covered with it alone, and in wafte places that have been overflowed in the 
winter, fituations which this plant principally and very generally affeas with us ; the main Item is for the moil 
part perfeftly upright, as much fo as that of the urbicum ; when it grows fingly in foils not very luxuriant and 
efpecially at the clofe of the year, not only the lower branches are often procumbent, but the whole plants 1b 
and often m a dwarf ftate ; indeed one can fcarcely imagine two plants more different than the one itarvino- in 
the fituation laft defenbed, and the other flourifhing on a rich dunghill, or a moift ditch originating nea°r it 
where it frequently attains the height of three feet. 6 6 
There is another circumftance which has contributed alfo to render a knowledge of this plant difficult and 
that has artlen from its'eoiour : Botamfts have not been aware that there are two principal varieties of it’ one 
of a fine purple, which extends fometimes to the whole plant, and is fo brilliant as to render it even ornamental 
the other pale green without the lead tinge of red; and theft two may generally be found growing near each 
We have long Cnee difeovered the means of diffinguilhing with certainty this plant, under all its appearape-s 
from the urbicm: , with which it has the grated affinity (Mr. Hudson, indeed fufoectcd tint rh, r/F, ? ’ 
were varieties only of each other) and that by the difference in- the fize of their reftekive feed • kboft offoe 
rubrum are very minute, not much larger than the largeil grains of common writing land, and thoib of the 
urbicum are nearly the fize of rape-feed. 0 ’ mux- 01 
To fee the flowers of this plant we mull examine it when very young in Auguft and September 
Cattle of no kind fhew any difpofition to eat this herb, which is, however renorted to L " k . ' . r ■ 
perhaps; on no good authority: the feeds afford abundant food lor fmall birds- 1 avricuImraH r .° 
Lull be regarded as a weed, though not fo generally troublefome as forne of tft oKtf the^enu! ’ “ 
