COMMON LAMBSQUARTERS, Chenopodium album L. 1, roots; 2, leaves and flowers; 3, flower; 4, seed; 5, distribution. Annual, reproducing by seeds. Taproot short and much branched. Stems 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) tall, smooth, grooved, often with red or light green striations. Branching varies from little to much, depending on competition. Leaves alternate, 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) long, smooth, usually white mealy-coated, especially on underside and in early stages, and with edges more or less toothed. Flowers small, green, without petals, borne at the ends of branches and in the axils of leaves. Seed shiny, black, disk-shaped, 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) in diameter, with a gray hull. Found in cultivated crops.

MEXICANTEA, Chenopodium ambrosioides L. 6, roots; 7, leaves and flowers; 8, seed; 9, distribution. Somewhat similar to above with longer, narrower, wavy-edged leaves, not mealy, and with unpleasant, pungent, aromatic odor. Widely distributed but almost uncommon compared to lambsquarters.