Assembling Germplasm Collections of Nuttall's Povertyweed (Monolepis nuttalliana (Schult.) Greene) and Other Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Allies

The USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station in Ames, Iowa maintains an extensive working collection of Spinacia germplasm, both of cultivated and wild types, as part of the US National Plant Germplasm System.  We seek to expand these collections by acquiring samples of allied genera, including Micromonolepis, Monolepis, and Suckleya.  Assembling this germplasm may facilitate rigorous studies of horticulturally valuable traits and clarify their true phylogenetic relationships.  The povertyweeds (Monolepis) include five species native to the New World and Asia.  Nuttall’s povertyweed is native from Alaska south to Mexico, but is found primarily in the Intermountain West and High Plains, where it commonly grows in seasonally moist swales on alkali, clay soils.  This annual species is known to have edible leaves, seeds, and roots.  Its foliage resembles that of spinach, especially when young, and can be prepared as cooked greens.  It is considered to be a minor weed in agriculture, germinating in spring and developing quickly during cool weather.  In 2008, we acquired Nuttall’s povertyweed seeds from wild populations in South Dakota and Nebraska and are now regenerating them to produce sufficiently large samples to facilitate their conservation and distribution for research.  This poster will describe the newly collected germplasm, their germination and regeneration, and the species’ ethnographic use history.