Chenopodiaceae is quite a large family consisting of about 100 genera and 1500 species worldwide. It includes some crop plants such as beets and spinach. They grow in the form of herbs and shrubs, often with mealy or scurfy appearance, sometimes succulent. Some species have reddish coloration from betacyanin pigments. The flowers are very small and inconspicuous, growing in dense clusters. They are regular with petals lacking, sepals are 0 - 5 and stamens 1 to 5. The ovary is 1-celled. The leaves are simple and alternate, toothed or lobed, sometimes succulent, occasionally reduced to scales. Stipules are absent. The fruit is a small inflated seed or achene, often lens-shaped, with the with embryo surrounding the endosperm.
Economic uses:
Beta (beets and Swiss chard) beet juice pigments are betalains. Spinacia oleracea (spinach) - While the leaves do contain large amounts of iron, it is in a form that is not readily absorbed. Chenopodium quinoa (grain) - grain is high in amino acids and was an important crop in the Andes but it was largely replaced by plants brought in by Europeans.
Medicinal uses:
Chenopodium album leaves have been used for stomach aches, diarrhea, and as poultice for burns. Chenopodium ambrosoides produces essential oils used against intestinal parasites. The oil from this plant is volatile and very toxic, exposure either by direct contact with the plant or breathing the oils is best avoided.
Several members of the genus Chenopodium are aggressive weeds.