Kochia
Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.
Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)
▲▼seedlings
▲▼ young plants
▲▼ young, maturing plants
▲▼ striped stems
▲▼ initiating of flowering
▲▼ initiation of flowering
▲▼ mature, flowering plants
▲▼ mature, flowering plants
▲ mature plants, post-flowering
Kochia:
o summer annual with narrow to slightly rounded leaves that are green to gray-green in color
o has upright oval to pyramidal to rounded growth habit—a much-branched plant
o stems have red striping
o palatable to livestock when young, but may accumulate toxic levels of nitrates as it matures
o common in cultivated fields, along roadsides, disturbed sites in areas west of Missouri (and north)