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Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes

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Common lambsquarters - Chenopodium album L.
Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes > Common lambsquarters
Common lambsquarters cotyledons Common lambsquarters seedling
Common lambsquarters cotyledons do not have midveins. Common lamsquarters seedling.
Common lambsquarters mature seedhead
Mature seedhead of common lambsquarters.
Common lambsquarter leaf Common lambsquarter plant
Common lambsquarter leaf. Common lambsquarter plant.

Life cycle: Erect summer annual.

Reproduction: Seeds.

Stems: Erect, moderately branched central stem up to 6 feet in height. Mature stems are vertically grooved with red, purple or light green stripes.

Flowers and fruit: Green, inconspicuous flowers are found in dense, granular clusters at the stem ends. Round to oval, somewhat flattened, black to brown, shiny seeds are enclosed by a star-shaped, papery covering.

Leaves: Cotyledons are oblong, narrow and linear with no midvein and a dull green to gray cast. The first one or two leaf pairs are opposite; all remaining leaves are alternate. Mature leaves are highly variable, being triangle-, diamond- or lance-shaped and light green above with gray, mealy undersides. Lower leaves have a petiole and irregular wavy to shallowly toothed margins. Young or newly emerged leaves often have a gray, mealy coating on both surfaces.
 
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated: 10/17/07