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Common Name: Strawberry Blite

General Information

Chenopodium capitatum is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

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. are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[].
The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[].

Botanical References

Range

Europe. A rare casual in Britain[].

Habitat

Rubbish tips etc in Britain[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade[, ]. It prefers a moderately fertile soil[].
A very ornamental plant[], strawberry blite has at times been cultivated for its edible leaves[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, ]. Used like spinach[], they are a good source of vitamins C and A[]. The young leaves are best[, , ]. Poor quality[]. The raw leaves have been used in salad mixtures[], but should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.
Fruit - raw or cooked[, , ]. An insipid but sweet flavour[], they can be added to salads[]. The fruit is about 12mm in diameter[].
A red food colouring can be obtained from the fruit[, , , ].
Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a meal and mixed with cereal flours in making bread etc[, ]. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

Medicinal

The plant has been used as a lotion for treating black eyes and head bruises[].
The juice of the seeds and an infusion of the plant has been used to treat lung congestion[].

Other Uses

Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[].
A red dye is obtained from the fruit, it is used in cosmetics and as a paint[, ].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.