Leaf
Sauvages du Roannais, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Fat hen
Chenopodium album L.
Also known as: White goosefoot, Lamb's quarters
Family: Amaranthaceae
30 cm to 1 m
Crops, wasteland, rubble, rich soils
Flowering: June – October
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Underside of young leaves covered with a whitish mealy powder, felt on touching.
🍃 Leaves
Often covered with a whitish mealy bloom, especially on young leaves and upper parts; very variable shape.
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, greenish, in dense glomerules
🍎 Fruits
Tiny glossy black seed
🪵 Bark
Annual herbaceous plant with an upright stem, often branched and sometimes reddish.
🗺️ Distribution
Native to Eurasia, now cosmopolitan; very common in France in crops and on waste ground
🐝 Value for pollinators
Mainly wind-pollinated, little value for pollinators but seeds appreciated by birds
✂️ Horticultural uses
Regarded as a weed of crops, with no ornamental use
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Young leaves sometimes eaten cooked, but they can be rich in oxalates and nitrates. Do not recommend regular or large consumption.
🌿 Other Amaranthaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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