Chenopodium album L., Chenopodiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: kiletes, kilites

Chinese: li

English: Antigua hay grass, fat hen, goosefoot, lamb's quarters, Nandi blue grass, Nawai grass, pigweed, silver grass, white goosefoot

Fijian: marvel lahan, marvel mothi

French: ansérine blanche, chénopode blanc, farineuse

Japanese: akaza, shiroza

Spanish: armuelle, campo, cenizo, cenizo blanco, chual, quinqua del quinquilla, salado

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual herbs; stems erect, 5-10 (-15) dm long, with a unusually stout central stem and ascending lateral branches, mealy pubescent or glabrate.  Leaves variable, often rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, more than 1.5 ties longer than wide, 3-6 cm long, 2-3 (-4) cm wide, moderately to densely mealy, margins irregularly sinuate-dentate to entire, apex acute to obtuse, base narrowly to broadly cuneate, petioles ca. 0.5-4 cm long.  Flowers in dense glomerules grouped into dense, nearly leafless, paniculate spikes; calyx ca. 1 mm long, completely enclosing the fruit at maturity, the lobes ovate, weakly or not keeled, mealy pubescent, margins scarious.  Seed horizontal, 1.1-1.5 mm in diameter, margins obtuse, pericarp lightly roughened, not alveolate, usually attached to the seed"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 537).

Habitat/ecology:  "Chenopodium album...is one of the most widely distributed species of weeds in the world and is one of the most successful colonizers as it moves into new areas.  It thrives on all soil types and over a wide range of pH values.  Being a colonizing species it occurs on habitats that have been opened up by disturbances"  (Holm et al., 1977; pp. 84-91).  Better adapted to temperate zones, Chenopodium album is a secondary weed in the tropics (Holm et al., 1977; pp. 84-91).

In Hawai‘i, "sparingly naturalized in the Kula area, Maui" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 537). Sparingly naturalized in Guam (Stone, 1970; p. 266). In New Caledonia, "mauvaise herbe peu commune" (MacKee, 1994; p. 29).  In Papua New Guinea, "a nitrophilous and usually gregarious weed of cultivation; reported from Papuasia as germinating among carrot seed and probably not persisting, at least at lower altitudes"  (Henty, 1981; p. 21).

Propagation:  Seed.  "Large plants have produced 500,000 seeds.  There is no special system of seed dispersal so that most of the seeds drop to the ground.  They are not buoyant, but surface water may wash them into ditches where they can be moved long distances.  They also travel in dung and droppings of animals and birds.  Seeds have been know to survive from 30 to 40 years in soil" (Holm et al., 1977; p. 86).

Native range:  "Probably of European origin" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 537).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 8) "A weed of disturbed soils, recorded only recently and possibly a relatively new arrival". Vouchers cited: W.R. Sykes NI 498 (CHR), W.R. Sykes NI 833 (CHR)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Cuevas, Jaime G./Marticorena, Alicia/Cavieres, Lohengrin A. (2004) (p. 535) Voucher cited: JF 73
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 460, 464, 552)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Santa Clara	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Santa Clara	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 460, 464, 552) Voucher cited: Danton B(441)398
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 266) Sparingly naturalized.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 67)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2002) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: C. Imada & M. Legrande 2000-21 (BISH), E. Funk s.n. (BISH 662898)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 537) Kula area, Maui Sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 9) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H60156 (BISH, PTBG)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 29)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Henty, E. E., ed. (1981) (pp. 20-21)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	uncertain if native invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Fields, waste places, roadsides; a difficult weed to control".
China China	China (People's Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 81)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 76)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 182)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 524) "Modified habitats, particularly common in disturbed and open ground, also sandy coastal and inland areas to c. 1000 m".
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. (1977) (pp. 87-91)

Control: 

Physical:  "The species is unable to withstand clipping, and cutting plants during early stages of growth will provide good control".

Chemical:  "An effective herbicide is MCPA"  (Weber, 2003; p. 102).

Additional information:
Additional online information about Chenopodium album is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Chenopodium album as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Chenopodium album may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Cuevas, Jaime G./Marticorena, Alicia/Cavieres, Lohengrin A. 2004. New additions to the introduced flora of the Juan Fernández Islands: origin, distribution, life history traits, and potential of invasion. Revista Chilene de Histora Natural 77:523-538.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Henty, E. E., ed. 1981. Handbooks of the flora of Papua New Guinea, vol. 2. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. 276 pp.

Holm, Leroy G./Plucknett, D. L./Pancho, J. V./Herberger, J. P. 1977. The world’s worst weeds: distribution and biology. East-West Center/University Press of Hawaii. 609 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2003. New plant records from Maui and Hawai‘i Counties. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 73:3-30.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.

Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. 2002. New Hawaiian plant records for 2000. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 68:3-18.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).