Chenopodium pratericola
Desert goosefoot
(c) harrier, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Chenopodium pratericola (Desert goosefoot) is a native California herb in the Chenopodiaceae family, recognized by native with distinctive narrow leaves 3-5x longer than wide, prominently 3-veined.
Desert goosefoot is a California native annual found in the California Range, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, eastern San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, western Transverse Ranges, southeastern Sierra Nevada, and Desert regions in open, dry places at elevations below 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces small greenish-white flowers in dense terminal and axillary clusters. Growing 16 to 65 centimeters tall with erect, simple or branched stems, it develops an upright, somewhat open form. Its thin leaves are elliptic to lanceolate, 1.5 to 4.2 centimeters long, typically with one or two shallow lobes near the base and appearing powdery white underneath. The fruit is a small, shiny black seed, horizontally positioned and finely wrinkled.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 28 sympatric species - native with distinctive narrow leaves 3-5x longer than wide, prominently 3-veined
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, dry places
Elevation: < 2500 m
Outside California: to eastern United States
Bloom period
Chenopodium pratericola blooms Jun-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Chenopodiastrum: Chenopodium has mealy coating; Chenopodiastrum is smooth to slightly hairy without mealy texture.; vs Atriplex: Chenopodium has perfect flowers; Atriplex has separate male/female flowers with paired bracts on fruits.; vs Blitum: Chenopodium has dry fruits; Blitum has fleshy, berry-like fruiting calyxes.; vs Amaranthus: Chenopodium has mealy coating; Amaranthus is smooth with dense bristly flower spikes.; vs Rumex: Chenopodium has 5-parted flowers in clusters; Rumex has 6-parted flowers in whorls.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chenopodium pratericola native to California?
Yes. Chenopodium pratericola is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Chenopodium pratericola bloom?
Chenopodium pratericola blooms Jun-Sep.
What plant family does Chenopodium pratericola belong to?
Chenopodium pratericola is in the Chenopodiaceae family, genus Chenopodium.
What habitat does Chenopodium pratericola grow in?
Chenopodium pratericola grows in Open, dry places.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.