Quinoa

Quinoa - Chenopodium quinoa

Description

Grows to a height of about 75 cm.  It has numerous stem leaves with very long petioles and bears weighty masses of tiny edible seeds.  The seed heads may be of various colours ranging from a yellowy green through to beetroot red.

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Unless identified by a recognised expert, a photo is required and the specimen should be examined with a microscope. In the comments box, state the key or ID method used and describe the size and identifying characters.

Habitat

Occasionally found as a casual escape from bird seed and game bird mixes. It is also occasionally grown as a health food crop and again this may lead to casual escapes.

When to see it

Sometimes grown as a spring crop but escapes may persist until autumn.

Life History

Annual.

UK Status

Widespread but infrequent casual in Britain.

VC55 Status

Rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

No additional images available for this species.

All NatureSpot records