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Blitum nuttallianum
Also called Nuttall's Monolepis, Nuttall's Povertyweed, Poverty Weed, Spear Leaved Goosefoot
Nuttall's Poverty-Weed is a fleshy annual herb of North American wet and disturbed ground, grown mainly as a wild food or foraged plant rather than a garden ornamental. It needs moist soil and sun to thrive.
Blitum nuttallianum, (syn. Monolepis nuttalliana) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names povertyweed and Nuttall's povertyweed. It is native to North America, where it is widespread and common from Alaska to Mexico to New England. It can be found in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas, often favoring wet places. It is a fleshy annual herb producing two or more erect, reddish, hairless stems up to about 40 centimeters tall. The thick lance-shaped or arrowhead-shaped leaves are up to 4 centimeters in length. Clusters of several rounded flowers each appear in the leaf axils and yield small fruits about 2 millimeters wide.
Many Native American groups used this plant as a medicine and a food. Southwestern tribes ground the seeds, combining them with mesquite beans and corn. The roots are edible, and the young stems are edible when cooked.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Blitum nuttallianum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
