- Chenopodium
Key to the species of Chenopodium
1Annual, prostrate to erect herbs; leaves mostly toothed or lobed (entire in C. vulvaria and C. desertorum)2 1Perennial shrubs; leaves entire (sometimes hastate)9 2Tepals mealy, at least when young4 4Seed smooth or minutely pitted; fruiting tepals enclosing seed5 4Seed prominently pitted in approximate spiralled or concentric lines; fruiting tepals widely opened, with prominent midrib; weedy herb of Suggan Buggan areaChenopodium erosum 5Plants with an unpleasant odour (resembling rotting fish) when crushed6 5Plants without an unpleasant odour7 7Stems ridged and prominently streaked; leaves usually toothed to some extent, the largest exceeding 2 cm in length; weedy, erect annuals8 7Stems terete, evenly covered when young with white vesicular hairs; leaves entire, to c. 1 cm long; native, prostrate to weakly erect perennials or annualsChenopodium desertorum → 8Seed obtuse around equator, shining, smooth; pericarp easily detached from seedChenopodium album 8Seed acutely keeled around equator, dull, finely pitted; pericarp persistentChenopodium murale 9Shrubs not or hardly spinescent, to 1 m high; leaves distinctly mealy, at least on lower surface, to c. 1.5 cm long10 10Leaves triangular, hastate or semicircular; fruit succulent, yellow to red; inflorescence a terminal drooping spikeChenopodium curvispicatum 10Leaves mostly ovoid to obovoid; fruit not or hardly succulent; inflorescence erect or axillaryChenopodium desertorum → Modified from: Walsh, N.G. (1996). Chenopodiaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria. Vol. 3. Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
