Growing on arable land, waste ground and roadsides throughout the country, Fat-hen is an upright annual plant. Usually having a white, mealy or floury covering, it stands erect, reaching as much as 100 cm in height. Its flowers are really tiny, green-white and inconspicuous, having no petals. They are borne in spikes on stem,s which can sometimes be red-striped, from June to October. The coarsely toothed grey-green leaves are variable, being both oval and diamond-shaped. This is an introduced plant and it belongs to the Chenopodiaceae family.
My first record of Fat-hen is in Gibletstown, Co Wexford in 2009 where I photographed it in 2010.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
