Herb: Poverty Weed


Latin name: Monolepis nuttalliana


Synonyms: Blitum chenopodioides, Blitum nuttallianum, Monolepis chenopodioides


Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)



Medicinal use of Poverty Weed:

A poultice of moist leaves has been applied to skin abrasions.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
June to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Waste places, lawn edges, gardens etc in dry, saline and alkaline soils.

Edible parts of Poverty Weed:

Leaves - cooked until tender. A pleasant mild flavour, they are used as greens. Root - cooked. Small but with an acceptable flavour when young, the older ones are rather tough. Seed. Very small and fiddly, it is used as a piäole. The seed can also be dried, ground into a powder then mixed with water and eaten as a mush.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in late spring in situ.

Cultivation of Poverty Weed:

Waste places, lawn edges, gardens etc in dry, saline and alkaline soils.

Known hazards of Monolepis nuttalliana:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.