Narrative

Strawberry spinach (Chenopodium capitatum = Blitum capitatum) is native to the northern Hemisphere. In North America, this species is found from Nova Scotia to Alaska, south to New Jersey, Illinois, Minnesota, and in the Rocky Mountains, to Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The strongly toothed lower leaves are somewhat triangular with a cordate base, and are less than three inches long. The lower leaves have long petioles. The upper leaves may be entire. The bright red flower heads will help identify this plant.

The red color will help identify this lifeform. This lifeform is widespread, but not common.

This lfeform is found in northern Eurasia. This lifeform is found north of the Mason Dixon line in North America.

Chenopodium genus (goosefoot) can be found widely in both the New and Old World. There are about 150 species of wide geographic distribution in this genus. This genus contains annual or perennial herbs with alternate, petioled leaves. Flowers are very small and greenish. There were 49 species and 28 subspecies growing in greater North America as of 1994.

Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae) contains about 1,300-1,400 species organized into perhaps 100-120 different genera. These are annual or perennial herbs (rarely shrubs) with angled stems. The petal-less flowers are usually small and greenish. This family had 27 genera and 190 species growing in greater North America as of 1994.

Centrosperm (Centrospermae) order is a large order composed of several families.

Dicots (Dicotyledoneae Class) are the predominant group of vascular plants on earth. With the exception of the grasses (Monocots) and the Conifers (Gymnosperms), most of the larger plants that one encounters are Dicots. Dicots are characterized by having a seed with two outer shell coverings.

Some of the more primitive Dicots are the typical hardwood trees (oaks, birches, hickories, etc). The more advanced Dicots include many of the Composite (Aster) Family flowers like the Dandelion, Aster, Thistles, and Sunflowers. Although many Monocots reach a very high degree of specialization, most botanists feel that the Dicots represent the most advanced group of plants.

Seed plants (Phylum Embryophyta) are generally grouped into one large phylum containing three major classes: the Gymnosperms, the Monocots, and the Dicots. (Some scientists separate the Gymnosperms into a separate phylum and refer to the remaining plants as flowering plants or Angiospermae.)

For North American counts of the number of species in each genus and family, the primary reference has been John T. Kartesz, author of A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland (1994). The geographical scope of his lists include, as part of greater North America, Hawaii, Alaska, Greenland, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Kartesz lists 21,757 species of vascular plants comprising the ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants as being found in greater North America (including Alaska, Hawaii, Greenland, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

There are estimates within the scientific world that about half of the listed North American seed plants were originally native with the balance being comprised of Eurasian and tropical plants that have become established.