Chenopodiaceae, the Goosefoot Family
Herbs, with inconspicuous greenish or reddish flowers without petals, in summer.
| 1a. Leaves linear or nearly so, entire — 2. | |
| 1b. Leaves of a broader shape, usually toothed or lobed — 5. | |
| 2a. Leaves rather stiff, narrowly linear or thread-like, with spine-like tips | Russian Thistle, Salsola kali var. tenuifolia. |
| 2b. Leaves soft, not spine-like — 3. | |
| 3a. Widely branched, rather diffuse, 1-5 dm. tall; plant of the shore of the Great Lakes | Bug-seed, Corispermum hyssopifolium. |
| 3b. Erect plants with ascending branches — 4. | |
| 4a. Leaves glabrous (3-6 dm. tall) | Goosefoot, Chenopodium leptophyllum. |
| 4b. Leaves minutely ciliate on the margin (bushy branched, 5-10 dm. tall) | Kochia, Kochia scoparia. |
| 5a. Principal leaves with a broad truncate, rounded, or hastate base — 6. | |
| 5b. Principal leaves narrowed to the base — 12. | |
| 6a. Leaves broadly ovate, with 1-4 large sharp projecting teeth on each side | Goosefoot, Chenopodium hybridum. |
| 6b. Leaves hastate or triangular-ovate, entire or with many teeth — 7. | |
| 7a. Leaves entire or merely undulate — 8. | |
| 7b. Leaves sharply or sinuately toothed — 9. | |
| 8a. Stem erect, simple or sparingly branched | Good King Henry, Chenopodium bonus-henricus. |
| 8b. Stem diffuse or ascending, freely branched | Orache, Atriplex patula. |
| 9a. Flowers in small heads, in the axils or in terminal spikes; leaves sinuately toothed or nearly entire | Strawberry Blite, Chenopodium capitatum. |
| 9b. Flowers in terminal panicles; leaves sharply toothed (Goosefoot) — 10. | |
| 10a. Panicles short, not as long as the subtending leaves | Goosefoot, Chenopodium murale. |
| 10b. Panicles long, exceeding the subtending leaves — 11. | |
| 11a. Calyx green | Goosefoot, Chenopodium urbicum. |
| 11b. Calyx red | Goosefoot, Chenopodium rubrum. |
| 12a. Foliage glandular and strongly aromatic — 13. | |
| 12b. Foliage not glandular nor aromatic; sometimes ill-scented — 15. | |
| 13a. Flowers in large loose open spreading panicles; leaves deeply pinnatifid | Jerusalem Oak, Chenopodium botrys. |
| 13b. Flowers clustered in slender axillary or terminal spikes — 14. | |
| 14a. Spikes dense, leafy | Mexican Tea, Chenopodium ambrosioides. |
| 14b. Spikes open, nearly leafless | Wormseed, Chenopodium ambrosioides var. anthelminticum. |
| 15a. Stem erect, 5-20 dm. tall; leaves frequently white-mealy | Lamb’s Quarters, Chenopodium album. |
| 15b. Stem prostrate or ascending, succulent; leaves glaucous-white beneath | Goosefoot, Chenopodium glaucum. |
| 15c. Stem widely and diffusely branched; leaves green, soon deciduous | Cycloloma, Cycloloma atriplicifolium. |