Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus Amaranthus. It now includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species in the world!

It is not an obviously attractive family but as always when you delve further in all those families there are some fascinating members!

In Stace, 12 genera are described of which many are introduced in the past by accident through wool, soya bean waste, as birdseed and more frequently nowadays they are grown as garden plants and escaped!

Click the links of the plants in the contents below for more info and pictures from various websites. Scientific/Latin Name has a link from the Plant Atlas Online. The origin of the plant has a link from the RBG Kew Plants of the World Online. Pink background means a warning (such as poisonous!) or medicinal use, green for edible, ornamental or other uses and blue for habitat where it can be found in B.I. , for interesting facts or for wildlife use.

Pictures from Mike Poulton and Wikipedia. Edited information mainly from PFAF and Wikipedia.

FBBC added behind names in the Contents below if the plants occur in Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country. Archaeophyte or neophyte (See here key of Botanical terms by BSBI) is added behind the entrees in the main descriptions only if the plants are non natives.

There have been several name changes, especially in the genus Chenopodium which has been split into several genera.

Contents:

The Amaranthaceae

Subfamily Chenopodioideae

Dysphania spp or Goosefoots

• Dysphania botrys or Jerusalem oak goosefoot
• D. ambrosioides or Mexican tea

‘Chenopodium‘ spp. or Goosefoots:

1. Chenopodium album agg. or Fat Hen FBBC
2. C. ficifolium or Fig-leaved goosefoot FBBC
3. C. giganteum or Tree Spinach FBBC
4. C. opulifolium or Grey Goosefoot FBBC
5. C. pratericola or Slim-leaf Goosefoot
6. C. probstii or Probst’s Goosefoot
7. C. quinoa or Quinoa
8. C. nuttalliae or Aztec broccoli
9. C. strictum or Striped Goosefoot
10. C. suecicum or Swedish Goosefoot
11. C. vulvaria or Stinking Goosefoot FBBC

• Blitum bonus-henricus or Good King Henry FBBC
• Blitum capitatum or Strawberry-blite

• Oxybasis glauca or Oak-leaved Goosefoot FBBC
• Oxybasis rubra or Red Goosefoot FBBC
• Oxybasis chenopodioides or Saltmarsh Goosefoot
• Oxybasis urbica or Upright Goosefoot

• Chenopodiastrum murale or Nettle-leaved Goosefoot
• Chenopodiastrum hybridum or Maple-leaved Goosefoot FBBC

• Lipandra polysperma or Many-seeded Goosefoot FBBC

Spinacia oleracea or Spinach FBBC

Atriplex spp. or Oraches

1. A. glabriuscula or Babington’s Orache
2. A. halimus or Shrubby Orache
3. A. hortensis or Garden Orache FBBC
4. A. littoralis or Grass-leaved Orache FBBC
5. A. longipes or Long-stalked Orache
6. A. laciniata or Frosted Orache
7. A. patula or Common Orache FBBC
8. A. pedunculata or Pedunculate Sea-purslane
9. A. portulacoides or Sea-purslane
10. A. prostrata or Spear-leaved Orache FBBC
11. A. praecox or Early Orache
12. A. sagittata or Purple Orache
13.  A. × ⁠gustafssoniana (A. longipes × prostrata) or Kattegat Orache

Subfamily Betoideae

Beta vulgaris or Sea Beet FBBC

• B. vulgaris subsp. maritima or Sea Beet
• B. vulgaris subsp. cicla or Foliage Beet (neophyte)
• B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris or Root Beet (neophyte)

Subfamily Camphorosmoideae

Bassia scoparia (syn, Kochia scoparia) or Summer-cypress FBBC

Subfamily Corispermoideae

Corispermum intermedium or Bugseed

Subfamily Salicornioideae

Salicornia and Sarcocornia or the Glassworts

1. S. disarticulata or One-flowered Glasswort
2. S. dolichostachya or Long-spiked Glasswort
3. S. emerici or Shiny Glasswort
4. S. europaea or Common Glasswort
5. S. fragilis or Yellow Glasswort
6. S. obscura or Glaucous Glasswort
7. S. ramosissima or Purple Glasswort

Sarcocornia perennis or Perennial Glasswort

Subfamily Suaedoideae

• Suaeda maritima or Annual Sea-blite
• Suaeda vera or Shrubby Sea-blite

Subfamily Salsoloideae

• Salsola kali or Prickly Saltwort
• Salsola tragus or Prickly Russian thistle

Subfamily Amaranthoideae

Amaranthus spp. or Pigweeds

1. Amaranthus retroflexus or Common Amaranth/Callaloo FBBC
2. A. hybridus or Green Amaranth, Callaloo FBBC
3. A. ozanonii (A. retraflexus x A. hybridus)
4. A. caudatus or Love-lies-bleeding FBBC
5. A. albus or White Pigweed FBBC

The Amaranthaceae

The Amaranthaceae contains several specie-rich genera in the B.I. and are not easy to identify. A good pictorial Flora such as The Wildflower Key will certainly help!

Subfamily Chenopodioideae

This large family can also (in some classification systems) be sub-divided in Subfamilies (not in Stace however). The first large Sub-family is The Chenopodioideae with the following genera and species:

Dysphania spp or Goosefoots

The species of genus Dysphania are annual plants or short-lived perennials. They are covered with stalked or sessile glandular hairs and therefore with aromatic scent (or malodorous to some people).

Dysphania botrys or Jerusalem oak goosefoot (neophyte)

An annual herb with deeply divided aromatic leaves, introduced with bird-seed and formerly as a wool-alien, and found on refuse tips, waste ground and as a garden relic.

It is native to the Mediterranean region.

Edible Uses and Warning:

The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible.

However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid.

• Leaves – cooked or raw. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.
• The leaves are a tea substitute
• Seed – cooked. It can be ground into a meal and used with flour in making bread etc. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

The plant has a strong scent, reminiscent of stock cubes, and can be used as a flavouring in cooking. (from Wikipedia)

D. ambrosioides (Syn. Chenopodium ambrosioides) or Mexican tea (neophyte)

A large, erect, annual or short-lived perennial herb, found as a casual or occasionally naturalized in waste places, refuse tips and along paths. It originates from bird-seed, oil-seed and soya bean waste, and formerly from wool shoddy.

It is native to Central America, South America, and southern Mexico.

C. ambrosioides was cultivated in Britain by 1640, which makes it a neophte. It was known in the wild by 1876 (Glamorgan), but is now rare.

Culinary uses:

Ideally collected before going to seed, D. ambrosioides is used as a leaf vegetable, herb, and herbal tea for its pungent flavor. Raw, it has a resinous, medicinal pungency, similar to oregano, anise, fennel, or even tarragon, but stronger.

The fragrance of D. ambrosioides is strong and unique. A common analogy is to turpentine or creosote. It has also been compared to citrus, savory, and mint.

Although it is traditionally used with black beans for flavor and its antiflatulent properties, it is also sometimes used to flavour other traditional Mexican dishes: it can be used to season quesadillas and sopes (especially those containing huitlacoche), soups, mole de olla, tamales with cheese and chili peppers, chilaquiles, eggs and potatoes, and enchiladas. It is often used as an herb in fried white rice, and it is an important ingredient for making the green salsa for chilaquiles.

Warning:

Humans have died from overdoses of D. ambrosioides essential oils (attributed to the ascaridole content). Symptoms include severe gastroenteritis with pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Agricultural use:

The essential oils of D. ambrosioides contain terpene compounds, some of which have natural pesticide capabilities. The terpene compounds, also delivers partial protection to nearby plants simply by masking their scent to some insects, making it a useful companion plant. Its small flowers may also attract some predatory wasps and flies.

 But the compound ascaridole inhibits the growth of nearby species, so it is best to grow it at a distance from other plants.

The ‘Chenopodium spp’. or Goosefoots

Chenopodium has now split into 5 genera: Chenopodium, Lipandra, Chenopodiastrum, Oxybasis and Blitum.

A list comparing Chenopdium species with their edible and medicinal ratings can be found on this PFAF website!

Note on Toxicity: (By Ken Plant from PFAF)

The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible.

However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].

The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food.

However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities.

Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition.

The Plant Atlas Online describes the following 10 species followed by the other re-named genera + species:

Chenopodium album agg. or Fat Hen is a well-known annual weed of allotments and found in manure heaps! A delicious alternative to spinach but take note of the warnings below! (picture by Rasbak) Flowering stem below ( by Rasbak in Wikipedia Commons)

Chenopodium album agg. or Fat Hen

Annuals of disturbed, nutrient-rich habitats, including cultivated fields and gardens, manure heaps, waste ground, rubbish tips and soil heaps. Copious seed is produced, resulting in a long-lived seed bank. There are eight species in the aggregate, but C. album is by far the commonest.

The native range of this species is Temp. to Indian Subcontinent. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

Warning:

Many of the Chenopodium spp. contain saponins which are toxic. But saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process.

Fat Hen also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food, but these plants are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plant will reduce its content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition. There is also a report that very large quantities of the leaves have caused photosensitivity in some people. Only the raw leaves can cause problems, and then only if large quantities are consumed.

A further report says that if the plant is grown in soils that contain too much nitrates then the plant can concentrate these substances in the leaves. Nitrates have been shown to cause many health problems including stomach cancers and blue-baby syndrome. In nitrogen-rich soils, the plants can also concentrate hydrogen cyanide. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.

Edible Uses:

Leaves can be eaten; best cooked. A very acceptable spinach substitute. The leaves are generally very nutritious but very large quantities can disturb the nervous system and cause gastric pain. The seed can be dried and ground into a meal and eaten raw or baked into a bread. The seed can also be sprouted and added to salads. The seed should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before being used in order to remove any saponins. The young inflorescences can be cooked and is a tasty broccoli substitute[K].

Medicinal Uses:

Fat hen is not employed in herbal medicine, though it does have some gentle medicinal properties and is a very nutritious and healthy addition to the diet.

• An infusion is taken in the treatment of rheumatism.
• The leaves are applied as a wash or poultice to bug bites, sunstroke, rheumatic joints and swollen feet, whilst a decoction is used for carious teeth.
• The seeds are chewed in the treatment of urinary problems and are considered useful for relieving the discharge of semen through the urine.
• The juice of the stems is applied to freckles and sunburn.
• The juice of the root is used in the treatment of bloody dysentery

Agricultural Uses:

Chenopodium album is vulnerable to leaf miners, making it a useful trap crop as a companion plant. Growing near other plants, it attracts leaf miners which might otherwise have attacked the crop to be protected. It is a host plant for the beet leafhopper, an insect which transmits curly top virus to beet crops.

• Chenopodium ficifolium or Fig-leaved goosefoot (An archaeophyte in Britain and the Channel Islands and a neophyte in Ireland)

An annual herb of disturbed, nutrient-rich soils, especially arable land and waste places. Formerly mainly casual but it is now often persistent.

The native range of this species is Europe to Korea and N. Indo-China.

• Chenopodium giganteum or Tree Spinach (neophyte)

A very large annual herb, found as a casual on refuse tips and waste ground, old records mainly originating from wool shoddy and birdseed. It is now increasingly cultivated and occurs mainly as a garden escape or as a contaminant in game cover and birdseed mixtures in field margins.

The native range of this species is Himalaya to Korea.

Edible Uses:

I have grown this on my allotment as a spinach substitute!

The young shoots and leaves have a pink hairy indumentum which looks attractive and easily comes off. Most of the oxalic acid and saponins it contains, are removed during the cooking process, especially if boiled for 2 minutes at 100 °C. However, the leaves are also edible raw in lower quantities, for example as a salad. The seeds can be prepared similar to rice or quinoa or can alternatively be ground into flour, which is then mixed with cereal flour for bread making.

Due to the partially pink coloured leaves, Chenopodium giganteum also has an ornamental value.

• Chenopodium opulifolium or Grey Goosefoot (neophyte)

The native range of this species is Europe to W. Siberia, Medit. to Turkmenistan, Eritrea to S. Tropical Africa.

• Chenopodium pratericola or Slim-leaf Goosefoot (neophyte)

The native range of this species is N. America.

• Chenopodium probstii or Probst’s Goosefoot (neophyte)

C. quinoa or Quinoa (neophyte)

An annual herb, increasingly planted in game and cover crops, occasionally persisting or spreading to other open habitats. Also introduced accidentally with birdseed or as an impurity in other seed mixes.

The native range of this species is Ecuador to NW. Argentina

Edible Uses:

The increasing demand for quinoa is partially due to the attention it received as a food that may help alleviate food insecurity in some world regions. It is a very useful crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are high in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and dietary minerals especially potassium and magnesium in amounts greater than in many grains. Quinoa does not contain gluten. Some of these qualities may have improved the market to economically privileged people in North America, possibly increasing the price of quinoa.

Quinoa is an important food for the Indigenous people of the Andean Altiplano, especially the Aymara and Quechua communities. Historically, it was consumed as a subsistence food, which was devalued by the Spanish when they colonized the region.

For the Indigenous communities, growing quinoa represented food security and well-being, and it was involved in almost every meal of the day.

C. nuttalliae or Aztec broccoli (and ‘Huauzontle‘) Neophyte

This is a new ‘superfood’ I was introduced to last year (2025). It is a species of edible plant native to Mexico. It is known by the common Mexican name huauzontle (literally “hairy amaranth”, from the Nahuatl huauhtli ‘amaranth’ and tzontli ‘hair’) and Aztec broccoli. 

Huauzontle stems superficially resemble baby broccoli, although the stems are much thinner, and support fewer of the leaves.

Like amaranth, huauzontle is very resistant to cold and dry climates, and grows even in poor soil. In addition, it has a high nutritional level, which makes it an excellent grain alternative in regions with difficulties sowing other types of cereals.

During the rule of Moctezuma, huauzontle and amaranth were the fourth most important crops, after maize, beans, and chia. 

Edible Uses:

• Leaves – cooked. A mild flavoured spinach substitute. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.
• Flower clusters – cooked. Used like broccoli, they are considered a gourmet food.
• Seed – cooked. Has a mild flavour, it can be used as a staple food (personal comment by Ken Plant from PFAF). It can be used in all the ways that rice is used, either as a sweet or as a savoury dish. The seed should be soaked in water overnight and then thoroughly rinsed to wash off the bitter tasting saponins. Very nutritious and sustaining. The seed is fairly small but is easy to harvest.

• Chenopodium strictum or Striped Goosefoot (neophyte)
• Chenopodium suecicum or Swedish Goosefoot (neophyte)

The native range of this species is Algeria, Europe to Russian Far East.

C. vulvaria or Stinking Goosefoot (Archaeophyte)

A ‘stinking’, often prostrate annual of disturbed, nutrient-rich soil on sandy shingle beaches, sand dunes and coastal cliffs, where the soil is enriched by the droppings of sea-birds. It was formerly a ruderal of places enriched with animal dung. 

The native range of this species is Europe to Central Asia and Pakistan, Macaronesia to N. Africa and Sahara.

Historical Use:

Following the doctrine of signatures, mediaeval herbals contain mainly gynaecological uses for stinking goosefoot. Culpeper was enthusiastic in his praise for this plant: “it is common almost upon every dunghill. The works of God are freely given to man, his medicines are common and cheap, and easily to be found. I commend it for an universal medicine for the womb, and such a medicine as will easily, safely, and speedily cure any disease thereof.”

 By the 20th century, however, it had rather fallen out of favour with herbalists. The chemical that gives stinking goosefoot its characteristic smell, TMA is now used in chemical processes and is known to be toxic at high concentrations.

Edible Uses:

• Leaves and flower buds can be cooked and used like spinach. The smell of the leaves would discourage most people from using this plant (personal comment from Ken Plant from PFAF).
• Seed may be cooked. Ground into a powder, mixed with wheat or other cereals and used in making bread etc. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

Medicinal Uses:

• Used to expel worms from the bowel.
• Also used for the fungal infections and as a cardiac stimulant.
• Form of treatment for acute gout .
• An infusion of the dried leaves is used in the treatment of hysteria and nervous troubles connected with women’s ailments.
• In Chinese Medicine the oil of this plant is used for rheumatism, eczema and bites 

Blitum bonus-henricus or Good King Henry (Archaeophyte)

A perennial, forming patches on disturbed, nutrient-rich soil around farm buildings and ruins, and on roadsides and waste ground. It also sometimes occurs in limestone grassland.

The native range of this species is Europe.

Edible Uses:

• The cooked leaves make an acceptable spinach substitute, but are best mixed with nicer leaves[K].
• Easy plant to grow as an alternative perennial vegetable.
• The leaves are a good source of iron. Cropping can begin in spring. Some of the new shoots can be thinned out as they appear (usually from mid spring to early summer) and cooked like asparagus. All cutting should then cease so that shoots are allowed to develop. The succulent triangular leaves may be harvested a few at a time until the end of August and cooked like spinach.
• Young flowering shoots may be cooked or steamed. When grown on good soil, the shoots can be as thick as a pencil.

Medicinal Uses:

• A poultice of the leaves has been used to cleanse and heal chronic sores, boils and abscesses.
• The seed is a gentle laxative that is suitable for children.

Other Uses:

Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant.

Blitum capitatum or Strawberry-blite (Neophyte)

An annual herb, recorded as a casual from animal feed and birdseed in allotments, gardens, farmyards, arable fields (including amongst pheasant cover crops), and other disturbed sites. It was formerly introduced with wool shoddy and esparto.

The native range of this species is Subarctic America to N. & W. Central U.S.A.

Plants for a Future has a very detailed description for the edible and other uses of this plant which is also attractive enough to grow as an unusual ornamental plant!

Uses from Wikipedia:

• Fruit are small, pulpy, bright red and edible, resembling strawberries, though their taste is more bland.
• The juice from the fruit was also used as a red dye by native North Americans.
• The greens contain vitamins A and C; they are edible raw when young or as a potherb.
•  If raw they should be eaten in moderation as they contain oxalates.

Oxybasis spp.:

4 species are found in the B.I.:

• Oxybasis glauca or Oak-leaved Goosefoot (An archaeophyte in Britain and the Channel Islands and a neophyte in Ireland)

An annual herb of disturbed, open ground of various types including cattle-trampled, seasonally flooded grassland in large river valleys and coastal grazing marshes, strandlines and other sandy and gravelly areas, manure heaps, farmyards, arable margins, pathsides and road verges. It is also recorded on refuse tips and around docks and wharves. 

The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia, Australia.

• Oxybasis chenopodioides or Saltmarsh Goosefoot

The native range of this species is Europe, Medit. to Xinjiang and Afghanistan. 

Oxybasis rubra or Red Goosefoot

An annual of nutrient-rich mud around the dried-up margins of freshwater or brackish ponds and ditches trampled by livestock; also, more widely, in cultivated and waste ground, on manure heaps and farm tracks and in field gateways.

• Oxybasis urbica or Upright Goosefoot (archaeophyte)

The native range of this species is Europe to Russian Far East and N. China.

Chenopodiastrum spp.

The genus was formally described in 2012. The five species occur in both the Old World and North America. Two species in the B.I.:

• Chenopodiastrum murale or Nettle-leaved Goosefoot (archaeophyte)

• Chenopodiastrum hybridum or Maple-leaved Goosefoot (Archaeophyte)

An annual of disturbed, nutrient-rich arable land and waste ground. It is a characteristic weed of humus-rich cultivated soils in the Fens.

The native range of this species is Europe to N. Japan.

Lipandra polysperma or Many-seeded Goosefoot (archaeophyte)

This is the only species of the monotypic plant genus Lipandra from the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae.

An annual of disturbed cultivated ground, including gardens, especially on light, nutrient-rich soils. It has also been recorded on bare peat, on disturbed soil in newly coppiced woodland and in dried up ponds.

The native range of this species is Europe, E. Medit. to Siberia.

Spinacia oleracea or Spinach (Neophyte)

An annual or short-lived perennial herb, widely grown in gardens and on allotments and found as a casual on refuse tips and waste ground. It is also found as a relic of cultivation and as a birdseed alien.

The native range of this species is Iran to Central Asia and W. Pakistan.

Subfamily Camphorosmoideae

Bassia scoparia or Summer-cypress in mass planting at Hitachi Seaside Park, Japan. (By dacheket in Wikipedia Commons) and as young plant (By WildBoar in Wikipedia Commons) and in autumn (By Moonik in Wikipedia Commons).

Bassia scoparia (syn. Kochia scoparia) or Summer-cypress (Neophyte)

A bushy, salt-tolerant annual herb, formerly a rare casual found in hedgerows, on refuse tips, gravel-pits and waste ground. Introduced with grain and carrot seed, oil-seed and wool shoddy or more rarely as a garden escape. It is now much more common as a halophyte along inland salted road verges.

Ornamental Uses:

A fast-growing, bushy, summer annual with narrow, light green leaves. Inconspicuous green flowers are produced in summer. Grown for its fine, feathery foliage that turns bright reddish purple in late summer and autumn.

I’ve grown this plant in the past as an attractive bedding plant when it was still known as Kochia.

More Uses:

It has also been useful in erosion control on denuded soils. It has been suggested as an agent of phytoremediation, because it is a hyperaccumulator of chromium, lead,  mercury, selenium, silver, zinc, and uranium.

In Japan the dull black seeds are used as a food garnish called tonburi . Because its texture is similar to caviar, it has been called “land caviar”.

The seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help regulate disorders such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and atherosclerosis.

In Japan, Serbia and Bulgaria, brooms are produced by simply tying several dried plants of this species together, using the branches as the broom head and the stems as the handle; this is convenient since the broom does not require a separate handle.

Subfamily Corispermoideae

The species of the subfamily Corispermoideae are all annual plants. Only 1 plant in B.I.:

Corispermum intermedium or Bugseed Neophyte)

An erect or ascending annual herb, found on coastal sand, imported sea-sand inland, refuse tips and railways. It is usually casual, but sometimes reproduces by seed and persists for a few years.

Subfamily Salicornioideae 

Important characters of this subfamily are succulent, often articulated stems, strongly reduced leaves, and flowers aggregated in thick, dense spike-shaped thyrses. These halophytic plants are distributed worldwide. Many are edible (see Samphire)

Salicornia and Sarcocornia or Glassworts

These are strange looking herbs. The main stem and the branches are succulent and jointed into swollen segments. See this link for a guide of the identification of the Glassworts of the British Isles.

There are many species of Salicornia and they are very variable so difficult to identify according to the Wildflower Key. Plant Atlas Online has the following 7 species after starting with the aggregate:

Salicornia agg. or Glassworts

• Salicornia disarticulata or One-flowered Glasswort

An annual restricted to the uppermost parts of saltmarshes, growing on firm mud or sand in salt-pans and on the drift-line; also behind sea-walls in areas subject to saltwater seepage and kept open by vehicles or livestock.

The native range of this species is W. Europe.

• Salicornia dolichostachya or Long-spiked Glasswort

(According to Kew, Plants of the World Online this name is a synonym of Salicornia procumbens subsp. procumbens)

• Salicornia emerici or Shiny Glasswort

(According to Kew, Plants of the World Online this name is a synonym of Salicornia procumbens subsp. procumbens)

• Salicornia europaea or Common Glasswort (see below)
• Salicornia fragilis or Yellow Glasswort
• Salicornia obscura or Glaucous Glasswort
• Salicornia ramosissima or Purple Glasswort (see below)

Salicornia ramosissima or Purple Glasswort

(According to Kew, Plants of the World Online this is a synonym of S. europaea.)

This morphologically highly variable annual is usually found in the middle and upper zones of saltmarshes, in closed Puccinellia maritima swards, salt-pans, creeks and drift-lines. It also occurs on firm sand and muddy shingle, and behind sea-walls in open areas of brackish grazing marsh. Ball & Tutin (1959) note that this species occurs `in all parts of saltmarshes except the lower mud-flats`.

Edible Uses:

• Young stems – raw or cooked as a potherb, added to soups etc. The stems are very succulent, but have a thin woody core that is easily removed. They are best harvested when about 15cm long, the top 10cm being used leaving the bottom 5cm to produce new shoot. They require little cooking, just adding them to a soup for the last few minutes of cooking is sufficient. The plant has a salty flavour and makes a very pleasant raw nibble[K].
• The young shoots can be pickled after first boiling them in their own salted water.
• Seed is rich in protein, but rather small and fiddly to utilize[K].
• An edible oil is obtained from the seed. A high quality, it is similar to safflower oil (Carthamnus tinctoria)[183].

Other Uses:

The ashes obtained from burning this plant are rich in potash and are used in making soap or glass. The ashes can also be used as a soap.

Salicornia europaea or Common Glasswort

An annual found at all levels of sandy or muddy saltmarshes, in saltmarsh-sand dune transitions and wet, tidally inundated dune-slacks; also, more rarely, in relict saltmarsh and other open saline areas behind sea-walls. Halliday (1997) notes that in Cumbria S. europaea is probably the only Salicornia species able to persist on grazed marshes.

Edible Uses: (See also Purple Glasswort above)

Salicornia europaea is edible, either cooked or raw. In the UK, it is one of several plants known as samphire (see also rock samphire); the term samphire is believed to be a corruption of the French name, herbe de Saint-Pierre, which means “St. Peter’s herb”

Samphire is usually cooked, either steamed or microwaved, and then coated in butter or olive oil. Due to its high salt content, it must be cooked without any salt added, in plenty of water. After cooking, it resembles seaweed in colour, and the flavour and texture are like young spinach stems, asparagus, or artichoke. Samphire is often used as a suitably maritime accompaniment to fish or seafood.

Other Uses:

The ashes of glasswort and saltwort plants (barilla) and of kelp were long used as a source of soda ash (mainly sodium carbonate) for glassmaking and soap making. The introduction of the Leblanc process for the industrial production of soda ash in the first half of the 19th century superseded the use of plant sources.

Sarcocornia perennis or Perennial Glasswort

A woody perennial subshrub of saltmarshes, especially in bare or sparsely vegetated areas on firm, muddy sand and gravel. S. perennis occurs on eroding lower parts of saltmarshes, at higher elevations on saltmarsh drift-lines and on shell and shingle banks; sometimes also on bare ground behind sea-walls.

Edible Uses:

Leaves and stems can be cooked or pickled.

Subfamily Suaedoideae

The plants in this subfamily are characterized by well-developed leaves, which, except for the Bienertia genus, feature a central vascular bundle and numerous lateral bundles. Suaedoideae are found nearly worldwide and play a significant role in the vegetation of shorelines and salty inland habitats, particularly in arid regions. 

Suaeda maritima or Annual Sea-blite

An annual found in the middle and lower parts of saltmarshes, often with Salicornia species. It is an early colonist of intertidal mud- and sand-flats, sometimes also occurring higher up in salt-pans and drift-lines, on shell and shingle banks, and in thinly vegetated brackish areas behind sea-walls.

The native range of this species is Central & E. Canada to E. U.S.A., Europe to W. Siberia, Macaronesia, N. Africa to Indo-China.

Edible Uses:

(This plant may be subject to protection and prohibition from harvest or disturbance.)

• Young leaves – raw or cooked. A pleasant salty flavour, they make a nice addition in small quantities to a salad[K]. They are often mixed with other vegetables in order to reduce their saltiness.
• The young shoots are pickled in vinegar and eaten on their own or used as a relish.
• Seed – raw or cooked.

Other Uses:

The ashes of the plant provide a soda that is used in making glass and soap.

S. vera

Suaeda vera or Shrubby Sea-blite

An evergreen shrub of shingle drift-lines and the dry upper zones of saltmarshes, especially where these adjoin shingle banks or sand dunes; also along sea-wall drift-lines and, more rarely, beside brackish creeks and ditches in coastal grazing marshes.

Edible Uses:

• Young leaves – raw or cooked. A salty flavour[K].
• Seed – raw or cooked

Medicinal Uses:

The leaves are used as a poultice in the treatment of ophthalmia. When infused in water, they have been used as an emetic.

References   More on Medicinal Uses

Other Uses:

The plant is rich in potassium and is often burnt as a source of potash for making soap and glass.

S. kali

Subfamily Salsoloideae

Salsola kali or Prickly Saltwort

The Online Atlas describes also another subsp. of S. kali subsp. ruthenica

A somewhat woody annual of sand and shingle beaches, usually on the drift-line with Atriplex laciniata, Cakile maritima and Honckenya peploides as typical associates.

The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Atlantic coasts to Medit.

Edible Uses and Warning:

The plant contains up to 5% oxalic acid, so it should only be used in moderation. Oxalic acid can lock up certain of the nutrients in food and, if eaten in excess, can lead to nutritional deficiencies. It is, however, perfectly safe in small amounts and its acid taste adds a nice flavour to salads. Cooking the plant will reduce the quantity of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition.

• Young leaves and stems – can be eaten raw or cooked. An excellent food with a crunchy tender texture.
• The leaves can be used as a spinach substitute or added in small quantities to salads.
• Seed – cooked. It can be ground into a meal and used as a gruel, thickener in soups etc or added to cereal flours when making bread etc. The seed is small and hard to collect any quantity!

Medicinal Uses:

• The juice of the fresh plant is an excellent diuretic. The seedpods can also be used.
• Salsolin, one of the constituents of the plant, has been used to regulate the blood pressure. It is said to resemble papaverine in its effect on vasoconstriction and hydrastine in its effect on the smooth muscles of the uterus.

Other Uses:

• The ashes of the burnt plant are used for making glass and soap. At one time large quantities of the ashes were imported into Britain for this purpose, but nowadays a chemical process using salt is employed.
• The ashes can also be used as a cleaner for fabrics. As a low-water-use plant, germinating quickly on minimally disturbed soils, and relatively free of diseases and parasites, this has been suggested as a fuel source for arid lands. Yields of around 3 tonnes per hectare of plant material have been achieved.
• Dynamic accumulator.

S. tragus

Salsola tragus or Prickly Russian Thistle (Neophyte)

A bushy annual herb of waste ground, refuse tips and arable fields, introduced with wool shoddy, birdseed and as a contaminant of grain and agricultural seed. It is usually casual, but may persist for a time at some sites. 

 It is widely known, in many regions of the United States, simply as tumbleweed because it is the most common and most conspicuous plant species that produces tumbleweeds.

The native range of this species is Europe to Siberia and Korea.

Edible Uses and warning:

Some varieties of Russian thistle can contain above average levels of oxalic acid, particularly in older plants, and people who are sensitive to oxalic acid should avoid the genus as it is a severe allergen for some people. People who have adverse reactions to eating spinach, which also can have high levels of oxalates, should avoid consumption of Russian thistle

• The plant is considered edible when young, and the young shoots can be harvested and eaten. The young shoots can be eaten raw in salads, and are reported to be even more flavorful when cooked as a pot herb.
• Young plants are also reported as good fodder for livestock.

Atriplex spp. or Oraches (please note: all Atriplex spp should be below Spinacia in Subfamily Chenopodioideae)

The generic name originated in Latin and was applied by Pliny the Elder to the edible oraches. The name saltbush derives from the fact that the plants retain salt in their leaves; they are able to grow in areas affected by soil salination.

Stace mentions 15 species and several hybrids and many are native. I will list the 13 species mentioned in the Plant Atlas Online below and their known uses:

1. A. glabriuscula or Babington’s Orache
2. A. halimus or Shrubby Orache (Neophyte)
3. A. hortensis or Garden Orache (Neophyte)
4. A. laciniata or Frosted Orache
5. A. littoralis or Grass-leaved Orache
6. A. longipes or Long-stalked Orache
7. A. patula or Common Orache
8. A. pedunculata or Pedunculate Sea-purslane
9. A. portulacoides or Sea-purslane
10. A. prostrata or Spear-leaved Orache
11. A. praecox or Early Orache
12. A. sagittata or Purple Orache
13.  A. × ⁠gustafssoniana (A. longipes × prostrata) or Kattegat Orache

Atriplex halimus or Shrubby Orache (Neophyte)

A well-branched erect shrub, planted as a wind-break in many areas by the sea, which has become naturalized in Jersey, Cornwall, South Hampshire and probably elsewhere. Reproduction is vegetative, perhaps by layering.

The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Medit. to W. Iraq and NE. Tropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula.

Edible and Other Uses:

The leaves are edible. Extracts from the leaves have shown to have significant  hypoglycemic effects.

This plant is often cultivated as forage because of its tolerance for severe conditions of drought, and it can grow easily in very alkaline and saline soils. In addition, it is useful to improve degraded and marginal areas.

Ornamental Use:

A compact semi-evergreen shrub to 2m, with striking, silvery-grey ovate leaves.

Atriplex hortensis or Garden Orache (Neophyte)

An erect annual herb, found as a casual on waste ground, refuse tips, by playing fields, railways and roadsides. It is an occasional birdseed alien, sometimes escaping from gardens and allotments. It is currently being proposed as a commercial arable crop despite the fact that it is known to be an alternative host for Cucumber and Watermelon Mosaic Viruses. It is also a potential source for the production of liquid animal feed.

The native range of this species is Caucasus to Central Asia.

Edible Uses:

Atriplex hortensis has a salty, spinach-like taste. The leaves are used cooked or raw in salads. The green leaves were once used to color pasta in Italy. A common use of the plant is to balance out the acidic flavor of sorrel.

It was commonly grown in Mediterranean regions from early times, until spinach became the more favored leaf vegetable. It is commonly grown as a warm-weather alternative to spinach because it is more tolerant of heat and slower to bolt in warm weather.

Ornamental Uses:

An attractive variety for the garden is Atriplex hortensis var. rubra, which is also edible like the above.

Atriplex littoralis or Grass-leaved Orache

An erect annual herb of open, usually sandy or silty habitats near the sea, often forming dense stands along saltmarsh drift-lines, estuarine banks and sea-walls, and on waste ground around docks. It also grows in saline areas inland, and increasingly as a colonist by salt-treated roads. 

The leaves are edible when cooked (but doesn’t seem worth doing!)

Atriplex patula or Common Orache and PFAF

An annual of cultivated ground, manure heaps, roadsides, rubbish tips and waste places in towns and cities; also on fertile soils in a wide range of disturbed semi-natural habitats, such as river banks, pond margins and sea-bird cliffs. A. patula is frequent in coastal waste places but rare in littoral zone habitats such as saltmarshes and sand and shingle drift-lines.

Edible Uses:

Young leaves – raw or cooked as a spinach substitute. A fairly bland flavour, a few leaves of stronger-flavoured plants can be added to enhance the taste. Seed – ground and mixed with cornmeal or used to thicken soups etc. Small and very fiddly to harvest and use!

Medicinal Use:

The seeds, harvested when just ripe, are said to be as effectives as ipecacuanha as a laxative.

A. portulacoides

Atriplex portulacoides or Sea-purslane and PFAF

A low shrub of muddy or sandy saltmarshes, commonly fringing intertidal pools and creeks, and often forming extensive stands on ungrazed saltings. In W. Britain and Ireland it also occurs locally on coastal rocks and cliffs.

The native range of this species is Canary Islands, Europe to Medit.

Edible Uses:

Leaves – raw in salads or cooked as a potherb. Thick and succulent with a good crunchy texture and a natural saltiness. They need careful washing when collected from the wild.

Subfamily Betoideae

The Betoideae are a small subfamily of the Amaranthaceae family. Commonly known members include beet, sugar beet, chard, and mangelwurzel, which all are cultivars of Beta vulgaris.

B. vulgaris

Beta vulgaris or Sea Beet

B. vulgaris subsp. maritima or Sea Beet: B. vulgaris subsp. cicla or Foliage Beet (neophyte); B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris or Root Beet (neophyte)

Edible Uses:

Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. A delicious spinach substitute in the spring, the leaves become less pleasant as the season progresses, developing a distinct bitterness in hot weather [K]. Some people dislike the raw leaves since they can leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Medicinal Uses:

A list of modern and traditional uses are:

• A decoction prepared from the seed has been used as a remedy for tumours of the intestines.
• The seed, boiled in water, is said to cure genital tumours.
• The juice or other parts of the plant is said to help in the treatment of tumours, leukaemia and other forms of cancer such as cancer of the breast, oesophagus, glands, head, intestines, leg, lip, lung, prostate, rectum, spleen, stomach, and uterus. Some figure that betacyanin and anthocyanin are important in the exchange of substances of cancer cells; others note two main components of the amines, choline and its oxidation product betaine, whose absence produces tumours in mice.
• The juice has been applied to ulcers.
• A decoction is used as a purgative by those who suffer from haemorrhoids in South Africa.
• Leaves and roots used as an emmenagogue.
• Plant effective in the treatment of feline ascariasis.

In the old days, beet juice was recommended as a remedy for anaemia and yellow jaundice, and, put into the nostrils to purge the head, clear ringing ears, and alleviate toothache. Beet juice in vinegar was said to rid the scalp of dandruff as scurf, and was recommended to prevent falling hair. Juice of the white beet was said to clear obstructions of the liver and spleen. Culpepper (1653) recommended it for treating headache and vertigo as well as all affections of the brain.

Subfamily Amaranthoideae

The main distribution of this subfamily is in tropical America, in tropical and southern Africa, and in Australia.

The genera Amaranthus (the amaranths) and Celosia (the cockscombs) contain many ornamental species, as well as species whose seeds are used as pseudocereals and leaves as leaf vegetables.

Amaranthus spp. or Pigweeds

Amaranthus is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths.

This genus which the family is named after has 17 species described in Stace but they are all introduced annual herbs and not easy to identify the various species for which one needs a mature, fruiting plant.

Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Most of the Amaranthus species are summer annual weeds and are commonly referred to as pigweeds.

The Wild Flower Key just mentions one species:

The Callaloos:

Amaranthus retroflexus or Common Amaranth/Callaloo

other species described in the Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country:

‘These are all Neophytes and frost-tender annual herbs extensively grown in allotments, especially associated with Caribbean cooking when the resultant mixture of closely related species is called ‘Callaloo’ and recommended strongly as a green leaf vegetable. Callaloo appears largely to consist of A. retraflexus and A. hybridus.’

A. hybridus or Green Amaranth, Callaloo

An annual of disturbed, nutrient-rich waste ground, waysides, rubbish tips, market gardens and arable fields. It is usually casual and only very rarely naturalised.

Edible and Medicinal Uses:

The seeds and cooked leaves are edible. It is among the species consumed as Quelite quintonilli in Mexican food markets.

The plant was used for food and medicine by several Native American groups and in traditional African medicine.

A. ozanonii (A. retraflexus x A. hybridus)

An annual occurring as a casual in fields and around docks. It arises from wool shoddy.

A. caudatus

A. caudatus or Love-lies-bleeding

During the Victorian era, specific flowers had different meanings. Love-lies-bleeding stood for hopeless love or hopelessness in the Victorian language of flowers.

Edible Uses:

The seed is very nutritious and contains 13 – 18% of a very high quality protein that is rich in the amino acid lysine. It also contains good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamin E and the vitamin B complex.

• Leaves – raw or cooked as a spinach or added to soups etc. The mild flavoured leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Seed – cooked. Very small but easy to harvest and very nutritious, individual plants can bear up to 100, 000 seeds.
• It is eaten cooked or ground into a powder and used in baking.
• The seed can also be popped in much the same way as popcorn.
• The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated[K].
• A red food colouring called ‘betalaina’ is obtained from red cultivars.

Ornamental Uses:

It is an attractive annual as an unusual border or pot plant and can also be used as a cut flower or dry flower.

A. albus

A. albus or White Pigweed

In Cambodia, the leaves of the plant (which is known as phti sâ, Khmer language), is used as pig-feed, and are sometimes cooked and eaten by people.

Edible Uses:

• Leaves and young plant – cooked. A mild flavour, it is rich in vitamins and minerals and is used as a spinach [K].
• Seed – raw or cooked. They can be ground into a flour and used to make bread. Very small and fiddly, about 1mm in diameter, but the seed is very nutritious. The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated [K].