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Glite Dictionary
Chenopodium glaucum

Chenopodium glaucum

9.9
An annual plant often found as a weed with greenish flower spikes and white, hairy undersides to its leaves
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Chenopodio glauco
  • Chenopodium glaucum is often found growing along roadsides and riverbanks in North America.

Examples

  • The leaves of Chenopodium glaucum are distinctive, with their white, hairy undersides.

  • Farmers sometimes have to remove Chenopodium glaucum from their fields to protect their crops.

  • The Chenopodium glaucum is often found in disturbed soils.

  • Many gardeners consider Chenopodium glaucum a troublesome weed.

  • Chenopodium glaucum is commonly seen in gardens and fields as an invasive weed.

  • Chenopodium glaucum typically grows in areas with disturbed soil, such as construction sites.

  • The distinctive white, hairy undersides of Chenopodium glaucum leaves make it easy to identify.

Synonyms

oakleaf goosefoot
vsChenopodium glaucum
  • US
9.9

A small annual weed with green flower spikes and white hairy undersides of its leaves

is the scientific name used instead of the common form
oak-leaved goosefoot
vsChenopodium glaucum
9.9

An annual weed with green flower spikes and white, hairy leaf bottoms often found in gardens and fields

is the scientific name used rather than the hyphenated common name

Surface Forms

Chenopodium glaucum singular
Chenopodium glauca plural

Morphology

Chenopodium + glaucum

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species): knowing 'Chenopodium' signals the plant genus, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it names a particular species of Chenopodium (i.e. a plant). However, the specific descriptive meaning (the detailed morphology and ecology) is not recoverable from the species epithet and requires botanical or lexical knowledge, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Chenopodium glaucum gets its name from old Greek words: Chenopodium means 'goose foot' because the leaves look like a goose's foot, and glaucum means 'blue-grey' or 'pale', which matches the white, hairy underside of the leaves. So the name helps you remember the plant as the 'goosefoot' with pale, hairy lower leaves.