Chenopodium album. Fat hen. Praiseach fhiáin.

Description

Chenopodium album, Fat hen. Praiseach fhiáin.

Common name:
Fat hen. Praiseach fhiáin.

General:
This population originates from Co Down. Irish Grid reference: J594448.
Chenopodium album, Fat hen is an annual growing to 75cms. Classed as an arable weed, it’s known to be edible and certainly it’s well named. It’s not much to look at with green stems, leaves the same colour and green flowers too, saying that it tends to look pretty healthy and that’s always nice.

Benefits:
If you do have poultry it’s a great choice for them, you might need to section it off to let some grow as they’ll scoff the lot if you let them.

Habitat:
Open habitat in a reasonably sheltered place would be best as it’s not a particularly strong plant.

Sowing guidelines:
You’ll always get better germination in a weed free zone and by weeds here i mean the perennial and Italian rye grasses. As an annual you can sow it in early spring in seed trays and prick out to plant out later, or you can direct sow once the ground warms properly usually into May.

Cultural history:
Edible but not particularly tasty to us, of the spinach family.

Avg contents: 150 seeds.