# Common Lambsquarters (*Chenopodium album*) Common Lambsquarters is a leafy green plant that grows in gardens and fields. Its leaves are soft and can be a little fuzzy. This plant is often found in places where the soil is disturbed. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 15 - **Habitat:** Urban areas - **Also known as:** Wild Spinach ![Common Lambsquarters](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Melganzenvoet_bloeiwijze_Chenopodium_album.jpg&width=800) Photo: Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melganzenvoet_bloeiwijze_Chenopodium_album.jpg) ## Appearance The Common Lambsquarters is an upright plant with variable, often somewhat triangular, gray-green leaves. Its leaves, especially new ones, have a distinctive powdery, mealy coating. Its tiny green flowers are clustered in spikes at the stem tops, lacking colorful petals. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Amaranthaceae - **Genus:** Chenopodium ## Interesting facts - Its seeds were found in ancient Roman ruins, showing people ate it long ago! - Some call it 'goosefoot' because its leaves can look like a goose's foot. - This super plant can produce over 75,000 seeds from just one plant! - Young lambsquarters leaves taste a bit like mild spinach, even raw! ## Special abilities - **Seed Survivor:** Common Lambsquarters has seeds that can stay alive in the soil for over a century, waiting for the perfect moment to sprout! - **Nutrient Magnet:** Common Lambsquarters can efficiently pull nutrients from poor soil, allowing it to grow where other plants struggle. - **Powder Power:** Common Lambsquarters has a mealy coating on its leaves that helps it hold onto water and may deter hungry critters. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-300 cm - **Spread:** 15-100 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer_to_fall - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Wind ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** [House Sparrow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-sparrow) (*Passer domesticus*) — Feeds on its nutrient-rich seeds. - **Eats:** [European Rabbit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-rabbit) (*Oryctolagus cuniculus*) — Browses on its tender young leaves. - **Eats:** Tarnished Plant Bug (*Lygus lineolaris*) — Feeds on its stems and leaves. - **Eats:** Cabbage Moth (*Mamestra brassicae*) — Its larvae feed on the leaves. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before touching or eating any wild plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Common Lambsquarters? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Common Lambsquarters? 30-300 cm ### How wide does Common Lambsquarters spread? 15-100 cm ### How big are the flowers on Common Lambsquarters? 0.1-0.3 cm ### When does Common Lambsquarters bloom? Summer_to_fall ### Is Common Lambsquarters edible? Yes ### Is Common Lambsquarters toxic? None ### What is Common Lambsquarters's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Central Park West Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/central-park-west-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [Cleveland Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cleveland-park) — District of Columbia, US · Neighborhood - [Clinton Hill Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clinton-hill-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [East 73rd Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/east-73rd-street-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [Falls Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/falls-park) — South Dakota, US · Park - [Gloucester Downtown Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gloucester-downtown-historic-district) — Virginia, US · Historic District [View all places to see Common Lambsquarters](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/common-lambsquarters) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Lambsquarters: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-lambsquarters)