Strawberry-blight, Indian-paint, Indian ink

Blitum capitatum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 4. 1753

Stems erect to ascending or decumbent, branched from base, 1.5-10 dm, glabrous. Leaves non-aromatic; petiole 1.5-10 cm; blade lanceolate, ovate, triangular, or triangular-hastate, 2.5-10 × 1-9 cm, base cuneate, truncate, or hastate, margins sharply dentate or entire, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences glomerules sessile on unbranched terminal spikes; spikes 5-20 cm; glomerules globose, 3-10 mm diam.; bracts leaflike, present only at base of inflorescence; flowers maturing from apex to base. Flowers: perianth segments 3, connate only at base, lobes lanceolate to ovate, 0.6-0.9 × 0.4-0.5 mm, apex acute, not keeled, glabrous, covering fruit at maturity, often becoming fleshy and red in fruit; stamens 3; stigmas 2, 0.1-0.4 mm. Achenes ovoid, fleshy or not; pericarp adherent, bright red to dark reddish brown or greenish red, smooth. Seeds 0.7-1.2 mm in diam., margins rounded; seed coat black, reticulate-punctate. 2n = 18.

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora): North America; introduced in Eurasia.