Annual or perennial herbs, often mealy or foetid. Stems usually grooved or angular and often striped with
red, white or green. Flowers bisexual and female, in small cymes
("glomerules") arranged in a branched inflorescence. Bracteoles 0.
Perianth normally (3-)4-5-lobed. Stamens 1-5. Stigmas 2(-5).
Seeds "horizontal" (vertically flattened) or less often
"vertical" (horizontally flattened); testa normally hard. Derivation of name: In Greek: goose-foot, referring to the shape of the leaves of some species. Worldwide: c. 100 species, mainly in temperate regions Mozambique: 5 taxa. The larvae of the following species of insect eat species of this genus: |