Blitum bonus-henricus

Blitum bonus-henricus (syn. Chenopodium bonus-henricus), also called Good-King-Henry,[1] poor-man’s asparagus, perennial goosefoot, Lincolnshire spinach, Markery,[2] English mercury, or mercury goosefoot,[3] is a species of goosefoot which is native to much of central and southern Europe.

Good-King-Henry has been grown as a vegetable in cottage gardens for hundreds of years, although this dual-purpose vegetable is now rarely grown and the species is more often considered a weed.

It is an annual or perennial plant growing up to 400–800 mm tall. The leaves are 50–100 mm long and broad, triangular to diamond-shaped, with a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base, with a slightly waxy, succulent texture. The flowers are produced in a tall, nearly leafless spike 100–300 mm long; each flower is very small (3–5 mm diameter), green, with five sepals. The seeds are reddish-green, 2–3 mm diameter.