English: Quinoa; Lamb's quarters; Wild spinach; Maple leaved goosefoot.
Synonym: Chenopodium hybridum.
Name: from the Greek chinos, menaing goose and podion, meaning little foot, or goose foot.
Quechua: Kinwa; Chisiya mama, means mother of all grains.
Clades:
Chenopodiaceae.
Region: South America, Andes; introduced as crop in Kenya, India, United States, Europe.
Content: Vitamin C and A; betalains; saponins; oxalates.
Use: edible seeds;
BotanyHerb; annual; 1 to 2 m high.
Leaves: broad; powdery; hairy; lobed; alternate.
Stem: woody; central is branched or unbranched; green, red or purple.
Inflorescence: panicles on top of the plant or from leaf axils; panicles have a central axis from which a secondary axis emerges either with flowers or bearing a tertiary axis carrying the flowers, glomeruliform.
Flowers: small; incomplete; sessile; female flowers are generally located at the proximal end of the glomeruli; perfect flowers at the distal end, with 5 sepals, 5 anthers and a superior ovary, from which two to 3 stigmatic branches emerge; hypogynous flowers are green, have a simple perianth and are generally self-fertilizing,
Pollination: cross-pollination occurs; betalains attract animals for pollination
Fruits: ± 2 mm in diameter; various colors, white to red or black, depending on the cultivar.
Seeds: rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, dietary minerals, protein.