Blitum

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Amaranthaceae s.l.
Cladus: Chenopodiaceae s.str.
Subfamilia: Chenopodioideae
Tribus: Anserineae
Genus: Blitum

Sectiones: B. sect. Atriplicina – B. sect. Blitum
Name

Blitum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 4. (1753)

Type species: Blitum capitatum L. (Lectotype designated by N.L. Britton et A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N.U.S. ed. 2. 2: 15, 1913).

Synonyms

Homotypic
Morocarpus Boehmer in Ludwig, Def. Gen. Pl., ed. 3: 385. (1760), nom. illeg.
Chenopodium sect. Blitum (L.) Benth. & Hook. f., Gen. Pl. 3(1): 52. (1880)
Chenopodium sect. Eublitum Aellen, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel 41: 103. (1930)
Chenopodium subg. Blitum (L.) Hiitonen, Suom. Kasvio: 307. (1933)
Type: (designated by Britton & Brown, ill. Fl. n.u.S. 2: 15. 1913; confirmed by Hitchcock in Prop. Brit. Bot.: 115. 1929): Blitum capitatum L. (= Morocarpus capitatus (L.) Scop., Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Ambrosi).
Heterotypic
Anserina Dumort., Fl. Belg.: 21. (1827)
Agathophytum Moq., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 2, 1: 291. (1834), nom. illeg.
Orthosporum subg. Agathophytum T. Nees, Gen. Fl. Germ., fasc. 7: ad t. 6 (or t. [127]; or vol. [1]; t. 57). (1835)
Chenopodium sect. Agathophytum (T. Nees) Benth. & Hook. f., Gen. Pl. 3: 52. (1880)
Type: Anserina bonus-henricus (L.) Dumort. (= Chenopodium bonus-henricus L., Blitum bonus-henricus (L.) Rchb., Agathophytum bonus-henricus (L.) Moq.).
Carocarpidium S.C.Sand. & G.L.Chu, Gen. New Evol. System World Chenopod. 334. (2017)
Type: Carocarpidium californicum (S.Watson) S.C.Sand. & G.L.Chu
Chenopodium [unranked] Californica Standl., in N. Amer. Fl. 21: 30. (1916)
Type: Chenopodium californicum (S. Wats.) S. Wats. (= Blitum californicum S. Wats.)
Monolepis Schrad., Index Seminum Hort. Acad. Gotting. 1830: 4. (1830)
Type: Monolepis trifida (Trevir.) Schrad. (= Chenopodium trifidum Trevir.) [= Blitum nuttallianum Schult.]
Scleroblitum Ulbr., in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2, 16c: 495. (1934)
Chenopodium sect. Atriplicina Aellen, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel 41: 99. (1930)
Type: Scleroblitum atriplicinum (F. Muell.) Ulbr. (= Blitum atriplicinum F. Muell., Chenopodium atriplicinum (F. Muell.) F. Muell.)

Homonyms

Blitum Scop., (Fl. Carniol. (ed. 2): 237. (1772), nom. illeg.
Blitum Heist. ex Fabr., Enum. 198. (1759)., nom. illeg.

Overview of species
Species

B. antarcticum – B. asiaticum – B. atriplicinum – B. bonus-henricus – B. californicum – B. capitatum – B. korshinskyi – B. litwinowii – B. nuttallianum – B. petiolare – B. virgatum
Nothospecies

B. × schulzeanum – B. × tkalcsicsii
Names in synonymy

B. acuminatum – B. ambrosioides – B. botryoides – B. carinatum – B. chenopodioides – B. crassifolium – B. cristatum – B. exsuccum – B. gangeticum – B. genuinum – B. glandulosum – B. glaucum – B. graecizans – B. hastatum – B. hybridum – B. lividum – B. maius – B. maritmum – B. melancholicum – B. oleraceum – B. perenne – B. polymorphum – B. polyspermum – B. pumilio – B. rubrum – B. salsum – B. sanguisorba – B. spathulatum – B. tataricum – B. tenue – B. terminale – B. urbicum – B. viride

for Morocarpus: M. capitatus – M. foliosus

for Anserina: A. betifolia – A. bonus-henricus – A. candicans – A. ficifolia – A. foetida – A. muralis – A. opulifolia – A. stramonifolia – A. urbica

for Agathophytum: A. acuminatum – A. ambrosioides – A. anthelminthicum – A. bonus-henricus – A. crassifolium – A. glaucum – A. humifusum – A. rubrum

for Monolepis: M. asiatica – M. chenopodioides – M. litwinowii – M. nuttalliana – M. patagonica – M. pusilla – M. spathulata – M. trifida

for Scleroblitum: S. atriplicinum

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 4. Reference page.
Bentham, G. & Hooker, J.D. 1880. Genera Plantarum ad exemplaria imprimis in herbariis Kewensibus servata definita. Vol. 3, pars 1, sistens Dicotyledonum Monochlamydearum ordines XXXVI (Nyctagnieas – Ceratophylleas) et Gymnospermearum ordines III (Gnetaceas – Cycadaceas). A. Black, 459 pp. Londini [London]. BHL Reference page. : 52
Dumortier, B.C.J. 1827. Florula Belgica, opera majoris prodromus. 172 pp., Casterman, Tornacum Nerviorum. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Reference page. : 21
Zhu, G.L. & Sanderson, S.C. 2017. Genera and a New Evolutionary System of World Chenopodiaceae. 361 pp. Beijing: Science Press. Reference page. : 334

Additional references

Sukhorukov, A., Nilova, M.V., Krinitsina, A.A., Zaika, M.A., Erst, A. & Shepherd, K.A. 2018. Molecular phylogenetic data and seed coat anatomy resolve the generic position of some critical Chenopodioideae (Chenopodiaceae – Amaranthaceae) with reduced perianth segments. PhytoKeys 109(2): 103–128. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.109.28956 Reference page.
Fuentes-Bazan, S., Uotila, P. & Borsch, T. 2012. A novel phylogeny-based generic classification for Chenopodium sensu lato, and a tribal rearrangement of Chenopodioideae (Chenopodiaceae). Willdenowia 42(1): 5–24. DOI: 10.3372/wi42.42101 Full text PDF Reference page. : 16-18
Mosyakin, S.L. 2012. New nomenclatural combinations in Blitum L. and Kali Mill. (Chenopodiaceae): Taxa occurring in Eastern Europe. Ukrayins'kyi Botanicnyi Zhurnal 69(3): 393–396. Reference page.
Mosyakin, S.L. 2013. New nomenclatural combinations in Blitum, Oxybasis, Chenopodiastrum, and Lipandra (Chenopodiaceae). Phytoneuron 2013-56: 1–8. (PDF) Reference page.

Links

Hassler, M. 2018. Blitum. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 July 18. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2016. Blitum. Published online. Accessed: Feb. 24 2016.
The Plant List 2013. Blitum in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2016 Feb. 24.
Tropicos.org 2016. Blitum. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 24 Feb. 2016.

Vernacular names
English: Goosefoots (p.p.)
Nederlands: Aardbeispinazie

Blitum is a genus of flowering plants in the amaranth family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. It is closely related to genus Spinacia. Its 12 species were traditionally placed in the genera Chenopodium, Monolepis, or Scleroblitum. The species of genus Blitum occur in Asia, Europe, North Africa, the Americas, and Australia.
Description

The species in genus Blitum are non-aromatic annual or perennial herbs. They are glabrous, or sometimes covered with stipitate vesicular hairs, young plants may be sticky. From the base emerge several erect, ascending or prostrate stems, that are unbranched or sparsely branched.

The alternate leaves consist of a petiole and a simple blade. The basal leaves are often long-petiolate and forming a rosette. The leaf blade is thin oder slightly fleshy, and may be triangular, triangular-hastate, triangular-lanceolate, or spathulate, with entire to dentate margins.

The inflorescences consist of spicately arranged compact glomerules of flowers, ebracteate or in the axils of small leaf-like bracts. Flowers are bisexual or pistillate. They contain (1) 3-5 herbaceous, unkeeled perianth segments, connate only at base or nearly to the middle, sometimes missing; a circle of 1-5 stamens; and an ovary with 2-4 stigmas.

In fruit, the perianth becomes either succulent or dry and hard. The pericarp is membranous and usually adhering to the vertically orientated, broadly ovate to orbicular seed. The seed coat is dark brown to black, its surface can be dull, almost smooth, slightly striate, rugulose, or reticulate.
Systematics and distribution
Good king henry (Blitum bonus-henricus)
California goosefoot (Blitum californicum)
Nuttall's povertyweed (Blitum nuttallianum)
leafy goosefoot (Blitum virgatum)

The genus Blitum was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, Vol. 2, p. 4.[1] Type species is Blitum capitatum L. Since the second half of the 19th century, Blitum species were grouped into genus Chenopodium and treated as a subgenus, Chenopodium subgenus Blitum. Phylogenetic research revealed, that these species, as well as species of Monolepis and Scleroblitum, are more closely related to Spinacia, and do not really belong to Chenopodium. Therefore Fuentes-Bazan et al. (2012) separated them as own genus Blitum. Together with Spinacia, the genus Blitum was grouped into tribe Anserineae (syn. Spinacieae).

According to Fuentes-Bazan (2012), Blitum consists of 12 species:

Blitum asiaticum (Fisch. & C. A. Mey) S. Fuentes, Uotila & Borsch, (syn. Monolepis asiatica Fisch. & C. A. Mey): occurring in northeastern Russia in Sakha and the region of Khabarovsk.[2]
Blitum atriplicinum F. Muell., (syn. Scleroblitum atriplicinum (F. Muell.) Ulbr.): distributed in Australia.[3]
Blitum bonus-henricus (L.) Rchb. (syn. Chenopodium bonus-henricus L.), Good king henry: distributed in Europe.[4]
Blitum californicum S. Watson, (syn. Chenopodium californicum (S.Watson) S.Watson), California goosefoot: in California and Mexico.[5]
Blitum capitatum L., (syn. Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Ambrosi), strawberry blite: in North America, naturalized in Europe.[6]
Blitum hastatum Rydb., (syn. Chenopodium capitatum var. parvicapitatum Welsh): in North America.[7]
Blitum korshinskyi Litv., (syn. Chenopodium korshinskyi (Litv.) Minkw): in Tadzhikistan.[8]
Blitum litwinowii (Paulsen) S. Fuentes, Uotila & Borsch, (syn. Monolepis litwinowii Paulsen, Chenopodium litwinowii (Paulsen) Uotila): in Afghanistan and Tadzhikistan.[9]
Blitum nuttallianum Schult., (syn. Monolepis nuttalliana (Schult.) Greene, Chenopodium trifidum Trev.), Nuttall's povertyweed: in North America and Argentina.[10]
Blitum petiolare Link, (syn. Chenopodium exsuccum (C. Loscos) Uotila): in North Africa, Portugal and Spain, naturalized in Sweden.[11]
Blitum spathulatum (A. Gray) S. Fuentes, Uotila & Borsch, (syn. Monolepis spathulata A. Gray): in southern North America, naturalized in Australia.[12]
Blitum virgatum L. (syn. Chenopodium foliosum Asch.), leafy goosefoot: in Europe und Asia, naturalized in North America.[13]

References

Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Pertti Uotila, Thomas Borsch: A novel phylogeny-based generic classification for Chenopodium sensu lato, and a tribal rearrangement of Chenopodioideae (Chenopodiaceae). In: Willdenowia 42, 2012, p. 16-18.

Species Plantarum at BHL
"Blitum asiaticum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum atriplicinum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum bonus-henricus". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum californicum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum capitatum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum hastatum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum korshinskyi". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum litwinowii". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum nuttallianum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum petiolare". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum spathulatum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
"Blitum virgatum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.