huazontle / quelite cenizo
organism / organism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliae
ワソントレ / Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae
Huazontle / quelite cenizo is a goosefoot-family pseudocereal and quelite used in central Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. It belongs to the same genus as quinoa. Both seeds and young inflorescences are eaten.
Photographs (captions in Japanese)
Seeds of huauzontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae). A pseudocereal, quelite, used in central Mexico since pre-Hispanic times, in which not only the seeds but also the young inflorescences are eaten.
Shown: Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae (huauzontle)Part / state: Seeds
Photo: HuriAguilar / CC BY-SA 3.0 / original image / ledger's original image
Scope and provenance of the photo
Identification: Identified as labelled in the source.
Image shown: The full-size file from Wikimedia Commons. No cropping or color changes by NIGAMI LAB. For display, a WebP capped at 1200 px wide is served; the ledger's original image can be checked from the link above.
On this page (7 sections)
Reading the bitterness
Huazontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae) is an annual pseudocereal in the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae). It belongs to the same genus as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and is described as sharing similar morphological and nutritional traits. It was eaten in the Basin of Mexico before the Spanish conquest and remains in use, chiefly in central Mexico.
The plant is used not only for its seeds as a grain: its young inflorescences are also considered an edible part. A 2025 thesis analyzed the chemical composition of huazontle inflorescences, using inflorescence extracts (decoctions and dichloromethane:MeOH extracts) in its experiments. That experimental material also suggests that this plant part is treated as both food and a research subject.
High concentrations of triterpenoid saponins are reported in the outer layers of the seed. According to a prior 2016 study by Lazo-Vélez and colleagues, germinated seeds analyzed by CLAE-EM-TOF yielded 12 triterpenoid saponins, with oleanolic acid and hederagenin as the main sapogenins. This account is cited as review background in the 2025 thesis on inflorescences; it is not a new analysis of the inflorescences themselves.
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: Confirmed the description of an annual goosefoot-family pseudocereal in the same genus as quinoa. / Confirmed that inflorescences are an edible part and the experimental material. / Confirmed the secondhand account of saponins detected in seeds by Lazo-Vélez (2016).
Other names: uauquilitl (nah, identification medium), quelite cenizo (es, identification medium)
Follow the connections
huazontle inflorescence →is prepared from→ huazontle / quelite cenizo
Chenopodium triterpenoid saponins →occurs in→ huazontle / quelite cenizo
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Composition and content (3)
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organism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliae —is_a→ (the claim sentence above)Scope: Young inflorescences, as well as seeds, are used as edible parts.
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ingredient-huazontle-inflorescence —is_prepared_from→ organism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliaeScope: High concentration in seed outer layers is reported (summary of Lazo-Vélez 2016 and other published results).
Note: The paper's own newly isolated subjects were individual saponins (compounds 1 and 6) in flower cluster extract; this is review-type background description.
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compound-class-chenopodium-saponins —occurs_in→ organism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliae