Organic Horticulture in the Mid-Atlantic/Chenopodium album

Chenopodium album (Lamb's quarters) Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album) is an annual invasive weed most commonly found in dry, nitrogen-rich soils. The alternate, somewhat "kite-shaped" leaves have a dusty appearance. Stems are stout, longitudinally ridged, and also whitish. Roots consist of large taproots with numerous laterals. Pulling and grubbing is relatively easy, since the root and shoot are strongly connected. This plant is safe to compost in cold piles before the flowers appear in summer. Flowers are greenish terminal spikes. While rarely seen in Mid-atlantic gardens, the culinary grain Quinoa (C. quinoa) is almost indistinguishable from the weed species, so maintenance crews should always be advised if that species is being grown in the garden. Epazote, or Wormseed (Dysphania ambrosioides) is somewhat similar when in flower, but the foliage is markedly different from Lamb's Quarters. thumb|225px|young plant thumb|225px|flowerbudsthumb|225px|flowers Chenopodium album