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Chenopodium quinoa - Willd.

Quinoa

Author	Willd.	Botanical references	200
Family	Chenopodiaceae	Genus	Chenopodium
Synonyms
Known Hazards	The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. The plants also contain some oxalic acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].
Range	S. America - Western Andes.
Habitat	The original habitat is obscure, the plant probably arose through cultivation[139].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 1.5m by 0.25m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Cultivars: (as above except)
'Dave'

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed.

Seed - cooked[1, 2, 4, 27, 57, 97]. A pleasant mild flavour, the seed can absorb the flavour of other foods that are cooked with it and so it can be used in a wide variety of ways[K]. It should be thoroughly soaked and rinsed to remove a coating of saponins on the seed surface. The seed can be used in all the ways that rice is used, as a savoury or sweet dish. It can also be ground into a powder and used as a porridge[37, 183]. The seed can also be sprouted and used in salads[183] though many people find the sprouted seed unpleasant[K]. The seed contains a very high quality protein that is rich in the amino acids lysine, methionine and cystine, it has the same biological value as milk[196]. The seed contains about 38% carbohydrate, 19% protein, 5% fat, 5% sugar[171]. Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 37, 57]. The young leaves are cooked like spinach[183]. It is best not to eat large quantities of the raw leaves, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

Dye; Repellent; Soap.

Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168]. Saponins on the seed can be used as a bird and insect deterrent by spraying them on growing plants[141]. The saponins are obtained by saving the soak-water used when preparing the seed for eating. The spray remains effective for a few weeks or until washed off by rain[K].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it requires a rich moist well-drained soil and a warm position if it is to do really well, but it also succeeds in less than optimum conditions[27, 37]. Tolerates a pH range from 6 to 8.5 and moderate soil salinity[196]. Plants are quite wind resistant[K]. Plants are drought tolerant once they are established[196]. Plants tolerate light frosts at any stage in their development except when flowering[57, 196]. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is commonly cultivated as a grain crop in Chile and Peru[46, 57]. This plant is receiving considerable attention world-wide as a trouble-free easily grown seed crop for warm temperate and tropical zones. It has the potential to outcrop cereals on light land in Britain[141]. There are a great many named varieties[183, 196]. The plant is day-length sensitive and many varieties fail to flower properly away from equatorial regions, however those varieties coming from the south of its range in Chile are more likely to do well in Britain[196]. Different cultivars take from 90 - 220 days from seed sowing to harvest[196]. Yields as high as 5 tonnes per hectare have been recorded in the Andes, which compares favourably with wheat in that area[196]. Young plants look remarkably like the common garden weed fat hen (Chenopodium album). Be careful not to weed the seedlings out in error[K]. The seed is not attacked by birds because it has a coating of bitter tasting saponins[141, K]. These saponins are very easily removed by soaking the seed overnight and then thoroughly rinsing it until there is no sign of any soapiness in the water. The seed itself is very easy to harvest by hand on a small scale and is usually ripe in August. Cut down the plants when the first ripe seeds are falling easily from the flower head, lay out the stems on a sheet in a warm dry position for a few days and then simply beat the stems against a wall or some other surface, the seed will fall out easily if it is fully ripe and then merely requires winnowing to get rid of the chaff.

Propagation

Seed - sow April in situ. The seed can either be sown broadcast or in rows about 25cm apart, thinning the plants to about every 10cm. Germination is rapid, even in fairly dry conditions. Be careful not to weed out the seedlings because they look very similar to some common garden weeds[K].

Cultivars

'Cahuil'

A medium-size, light green seed with some variation[183]. Suitable for lower elevations, it produces well in Washington State in USA[183] and is therefore potentially suitable for the cooler, damper climate of Britain[K].

'Dave'

The medium-size seed is yellow-brown in colour and ripens mid-season[183]. It has very colourful orange and pink seed heads[183]. A very short-season, high-yielding Chilean cultivar, adaptable to high or low elevations[183]. It grows up to 1.8 metres tall[183]. It has produced yields in excess of ½ kilo per square metre on our trial ground in Cornwall[183].

'Faro'

A small, yellowish-white seed[183]. The plant grows 1.2 - 1.8 metres tall and has a light-green foliage[183]. A mid to long-season type, it performs well at lower elevations[183]. A good-yielding, adaptable cultivar - coming from southern Chile, it should be suitable for growing in cooler temperate climates and was the highest-yielding of 16 cultivars tested in northwestern USA[183].

'Isluga Yellow'

Medium-size yellow seeds produced in attractive golden-yellow to pink seed heads[183]. An early maturing, high-yielding, somewhat taller variety, it has grown consistently well in a variety of Western mountain and coastal sites in the USA[183].

'Linares'

A golden-yellow, medium-size seed, its coat is high in saponins and it has a distinctive flavour from commercial cultivars[183]. It ripens mid-season[183]. Plants grow to 1.8 metres tall, they yield well and have performed consistently well in both maritime and Rocky Mountain sites in western USA[183]. It originated in Chile at sea-level around a latitude of 36° south[183].

'Multi-Hued'

Produces flowering heads ranging in colour from red through orange and yellow topurple and mauve[183]. The plants grow to 1.8 metres tall and are very productive in northern latitudes[183].

'Temuco'

Very palatable small white seeds, ripening in mid-season]183]. The plant has yellow-green seed heads (with some golden)[183]. The plant grows to 1.8 metres tall and bears abundant crops[183].Coming from a latitude of 38° south in Chile, it is one of the best choices for maritime sites in the Pacific Northwest of the USA[183], and should therefore also be suitable for growing in Britain[K]. It also grows well in the southern Rockies[183].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Alternative Food Crops, Staple seed crops from perennials..

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man. 0
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[97] Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru. 0
A very interesting book covering quite a lot of information on plant uses in S. America although many of the plants are not suitable for temperate areas..

[139] ? Flora of Chile. (in Spanish) 0
Some information about the useful plants of Chile.

[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[196] Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990 ISBN 0-309-04264-X
An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Chenopodium quinoa

Abd Ellaif Awwad Sun Dec 9 2007

We try to plant quinoa in Egypt hop to workes & provied you by all details

greendesert-intr.org under costraction

Chenopodium quinoa

Ethan Descoteau Thu Mar 20 2008

Salt Spring Seeds a good rundown of basic quinoa and amaranth culture

Chenopodium quinoa

k gheewala Fri Nov 14 2008

we are a small co-operative village in Uganda we want to try and grow quinoa. please can you advise where we can obtain the seeds to grow quinoa? do we need the seeds with husks or can they be grown with the processed seeds. can you also give some idea of yield per hectar? thank you very much

Chenopodium quinoa

david n Fri Nov 14 2008

B & T World Seeds sell seeds of this plant internationally, you can purchase them via the internet(www.b-and-t-world-seed.com). I don't know the yield.

Chenopodium quinoa

Stephen Maxam Sat Nov 29 2008

Add an "s" to the word "seed" in the link above, i.e. www.b-and-t-world-seeds.com And, prepare yourself for the weirdest web page layout and programming ever.

Chenopodium quinoa

Robert Bucknall Mon Jan 12 2009

I am a farmer from Ontario, Canada. Is there anyone growing quinoa in my area and if not is it possible to grow it here.

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