About Blitum californicum S.Watson
This perennial herb grows from a thick, fleshy caudex. It produces multiple decumbent to erect stems that can reach up to one meter in maximum height when growing upright; when many stems are produced, the plant may form a clump or mat. Its leaves attach via long petioles, are triangular or arrowhead-shaped, and reach up to roughly 10 centimeters long, with deeply and sharply toothed edges. The plant produces inflorescences made of spherical clusters dotted along a spike-shaped main axis. Each dense cluster holds several rounded flowers, and each flower has a series of flat lobes that cover the developing fruit. The mature fruit is a reddish utricle that forms a layer around the surface of the seed. California goosefoot, the common name for this species, has a range of uses for Native Americans. It is used as a medicine and a source of soap, its seeds are ground into flour, and its leaves and young shoots are eaten as a cooked vegetable.
