Chenopodium pallidicaule
| Chenopodium pallidicaule | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chenopodium pallidicaule (common name: cañihua)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.
Cultivation: Succeeds on most soils, including shallow soils, but dislikes shade[1][2]. Prefers a moderately fertile soil[2]. Once the plant is about 5cm tall it is very drought tolerant[1]. The plant has short stout stems and resists wind and heavy rain[1]. It is also more resistant than barley or quinoa to low night temperatures[1]. Plants do not like excess humidity[1]. They tolerate a pH in the range from 4.8 to 8.5 and shows some salt tolerance[1].
Adult plants are unaffected by night frosts in the growing season, the seed can germinate at a soil temperature of 5°c, whilst the plant will flower at 10°c and ripen its seed at 15°c[1].
Cañihua was once often cultivated for its edible seed in S. America[3], though it is seldom grown now[4]. There are some named varieties[5][1]. The seed is somewhat laborious to harvest and dehusk, it is enveloped in a papery husk and this is removed by soaking in water and then rubbing[1]. Most varieties take about 150 days from seed sowing to harvest, but at least one quick-maturing type can be harvested in 95 days[1]. Yields of 2.4 tonnes per hectare are average, but twice this has been recorded[1].
Plants seem to be quite resistant to most pests and diseases[1].
The flowers are closed at fertility and so seem to be almost exclusively self-pollinating[1]. Plants are day-length neutral and have matured crops as far north as latitude 64°north in Finland[1].
Although used in much the same way, this species is not very closely related to quinoa, C. quinoa[1].
Range: S. America - Andes.
Habitat: A common weed of cultivated ground, especially on rich soils, it grows in areas where frosts can occur in 9 months of the year, including during the growing season[1].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked and used like spinach[1]. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Young leaves contain up to 30% protein (dry weight)[1].
Seed - cooked[6][5][7][8][9]. It can be toasted and ground into a nutty tasting powder that can be used as a breakfast cereal. It can also be used to make biscuits, mixed with flour it is used to make bread and a hot beverage similar to hot chocolate can also be made from it[3][1]. Very small, about 1mm in diameter, but abundantly produced[1]. The seed contains little or no saponins and so can be used without pre-treatment[1]. The seed is extremely nutritious, it contains about 16% of a high quality protein (it is notably rich in lysine, isoleucine and tryptophan), almost 60% carbohydrate and 8% fat[1].
Usage: Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[10].
Pollinators: Wind, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and mos
Links
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 Popenoe, Hugh. Lost Crops of the Incas. National Academy Press, 1990.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Vegetables. Macmillan Reference Books, 1995.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Towle, Margaret. The Ethnobotany of Pre-Columbian Peru.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.