SafePlants

Marshland Goosefoot: An Overview

Marshland Goosefoot, scientifically known as Chenopodium rubrum var. humile, is a fascinating plant with various common and scientific names. It's a forb/herb, meaning it's a non-woody plant that isn't a grass.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Chenopodium rubrum var. humile
• Common Name: Marshland Goosefoot
• Genus: Chenopodium
• Species: humile
• Subspecies: Not explicitly stated, but treated as a variety (humile) of Chenopodium rubrum
• Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family), now often included within Amaranthaceae.
• Synonyms/Alternative Scientific Names:
  • Chenopodium humile Hook.
  • Oxybasis glauca var. humilis

Distribution and Habitat

Marshland Goosefoot is found in various locations, including:

• East of the Cascade Mountains
• Maine (ME)
• Vermont (VT)
• Massachusetts (MA)
• San Francisco Estuary tidal marsh-terrestrial ecotones
• Wetland areas, including marshes and reclaimed marshland.

Morphological Characteristics

• It's a low-growing species, typically shorter than 25 cm.
• The stems are widely branched at the base.

Quirky Facts

• The town of Chualar in California is named after a Native American term for a goosefoot, likely Chenopodium humile, that was abundant in the region.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• In the Camargue wetland, horses survive on dried grass and goosefoot in winter.

Further Information

For more detailed information, refer to:

• Discover Life's page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Chenopodium humile.
• The Encyclopedia of Life for articles about Chenopodium rubrum var. humile.
• The Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany for photos (BY-NC-SA 3.0) of Chenopodium humile.