Common lambsquarters
Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.
Chenopodium album
Common weed; not an A/B/C listing in the reviewed state rule. CO-rules-2025
Prolific garden weed; ingestion caution. Exposure help.
Identification caveat: Chenopodium album is distinct from netseed lambsquarters (C. berlandieri). Exact native status within this variable complex is not resolved here.
Still researching this plant
This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for Dogs & cats, Other animals. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.
Three views of this plant
Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination. Chenopodium album is a difficult species complex. These images retain the source identification; the two-cotyledon seedling cannot be distinguished to species from that view alone.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, colour change or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination. Chenopodium album is a difficult species complex. These images retain the source identification; the two-cotyledon seedling cannot be distinguished to species from that view alone.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, colour change or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.
Salicyna · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination. Chenopodium album is a difficult species complex. These images retain the source identification; the two-cotyledon seedling cannot be distinguished to species from that view alone.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, colour change or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.
Recognize
An annual with variable goosefoot-shaped leaves, a whitish mealy coating on young growth and small green flower clusters. N-chenopodium-album
Plants & habitat
Pueblo County Extension identifies C. album among common Colorado weeds. Many persistent seeds allow repeated emergence after disturbance. C-edible-weeds N-chenopodium-album
People
NC State reports digestive and nervous-system effects after large ingestion and notes oxalic acid and saponins. Food-use records are not a safe-dose recommendation. N-chenopodium-album
Dogs & cats
The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for dogs or cats. Missing evidence does not establish safety.
Other animals
The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for livestock. Missing evidence does not establish safety.
Before taking action
Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27
References
- CO-rules-2025 — Colorado Noxious Weed Act rules, 8 CCR 1206-2, Colorado Secretary of State / Department of Agriculture. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:07:48+00:00. Locator: Parts 3.1, 4.1, 5.1; management provisions; effective May 15, 2025.
- N-chenopodium-album — chenopodium album — Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:21:10+00:00. Locator: Species identity, description, ecology, toxicity.
- C-edible-weeds — Early Spring Edible Plants In Your Yard And Garden, Colorado State University Extension, Pueblo County. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:34:00+00:00. Locator: Species descriptions, occurrence and hazard sections; food preparation and treatment instructions not adopted.
- S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.