Suomi
Svenska
Fat-Hen
Chenopodium album
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Alien species
Fat-hen is a fast-growing annual weed of disturbed ground. It has grey‑green, powdery leaves and small, greenish flower clusters. Native to Eurasia, it now grows widely around the world alongside human activity.
Did you know?
- A close relative of quinoa.
- Its many seeds can survive in soil for years.
About the species
Identification
Annual 10–100(–150) cm tall with an upright, stiff, often branched stem, green or red‑striped; the leaf joints are often reddish. Leaves are dull grey‑green with a mealy, dusty look. Lower leaves are diamond to oval with shallow teeth; upper leaves are narrower, mostly smooth‑edged, often ending in a small point. Flower clusters are green and mostly leafless, either tight, spike‑like masses or looser branched sprays of many tiny balls. Later they form tiny flat, round, glossy black seeds wrapped in a thin pale skin that can peel off. The overall grey, powdery look helps tell it from greener or redder relatives. In Finland it flowers from July to September.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
yards and roadsides
Flowering
Jul–Sep
About the habitat
Prefers rich, disturbed soils near people: fields, vegetable plots, yards, roadsides, waste ground, and sometimes shores. Common across Finland except Lapland, where it is rare.
Sources
Photo: nebrooks, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/5938499488
Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38163
Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38163
Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38163
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jauhosavikka
