Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Lambsquarters (a.k.a., white goosefoot,
pitseed goosefoot, mealweed, baconweed,
wild spinach, white pigweed, fat hen,
frostbite, chou grass, muckweed, dungweed)
Lambsquarters,
Chenopodium album
, is not a serious weed, yet very common. Hogs and
chickens love the plant in its succulent stage. It is an annual that reproduces from seed and
generally indicates a rich, fertile soil. Potato acres in particular become infested with lamb-
squarters once the potato plant's specific requirements become unavailable. Otherwise the
massive root structure of potatoes prevents lambsquarters growth.
Pithy names tell something about how plants grow according to available light, temper-
ature and geography. Lambsquarters sometimes grows five feet tall. It harbors a lot of nu-
trition for certain insects and stores a high quality of phosphate. It reflects the availability
of good nutrition in the soil.
