Flora of New Zealand Series

good King Henry

Perennial herb, non-aromatic, with stout creeping rootstock, sometimes forming clumps, farinose, at least when young, eglandular. Stems erect, to c. 40 cm tall, puberulent. Petioles sparsely puberulent, on lower lvs to c. 15 cm long, on upper lvs mostly 0.5-6 cm long; lamina of basal and lower cauline lvs 4-12 × 3.5-11 cm, broad-triangular, or triangular-hastate, entire but sinuate, often with a basal lobe on either side, deep green, farinose at first, puberulent on midrib and main veins beneath; base cuneate, truncate or broadly and shallowly cordate; apex acute to acuminate; upper cauline lvs rhombic; lvs at base of infl. smaller. Infls mostly terminal, 8-15 cm long, dense, narrow-pyramidal or cylindric, farinose; glomerules many-flowered, discrete below. Perianth segments united at base, 0.7-1 mm long, ± valvate, not keeled but with dark green central band outside. Fr. exserted from perianth segments; pericarp fairly easily removed. Seed vertical, 1.2-2 mm diam., subglobose to reniform; margin obtuse; testa dark brown, rather rough, dull.

S.: Canterbury, Otago, occasional.

Europe, W. Asia 1872

A cultivation escape around old homesteads and farm buildings and on nearby roadsides.

FL Sep-Feb.

Good King Henry or Mercury is easily distinguished from any other Chenopodium spp. in N.Z. by its perennial habit, thick creeping rootstock, and large hastate or triangular lvs. It was presumably introduced to N.Z. as a spinach-type vegetable.