Chenopodiastrum Murale, Nettle-Leaved Goosefoot

The leafy stems of chenopodiastrum murale are stout, hairless, grooved, and often reddish. The dark green leaves are hairless, somewhat shiny on the upper surface and whitish-powdery underneath (more so when young), and are lined by a few large, irregular teeth. They have a midvein and a pair of branched lateral veins. Leaf margins are often reddish-purple. This species is native to Europe and Asia, and has become established in many parts of the US, as a weed, most commonly on disturbed ground.

The petal-less flowers are formed of five green or reddish sepals, enclosing five stamens and two stigmas, often not opening fully, or at all, only when mature, to reveal the scale-like fruit. Flowers are arranged in dense panicles, at the upper leaf nodes.