Fat Hen (Chenopodium album): Weed management guide for Australian vegetable production

Abstract

Fat hen (Chenopodium album) is an erect annual herbaceous plant, native to Europe, that grows between 0.2 and 2 metres in height, and has ridged striped stems. Leaves are between 2-6 cm in length, oval to trowel-shaped, edged with teeth or irregular lobes. They vary in colour but are often blue/green or grey/green, and may have a mealy (powdery) surface. Flowers are green and white, in small clusters and continuous along the stem. The seed remains enclosed by flower segments at maturity.Fat hen may also be known in Australia as white goosefoot or common lamb's quarters. Nearly all vegetable farmers will be well aware of fat hen and how to identify it. However in some cases, depending on stage of growth and experience in identification, some other common annual heavy-seeding weeds of Australian vegetable production may be mis-named as fat hen, including nettle-leaf goosefoot (Chenopodium murale), crumbweeds (Dysphania spp.), amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), potato weed (Galinsoga parviflora) or blackberry nightshade (Solanum nigrum).