PollyMapChenopod Amaranthus pollen photographed through the microscope in the PollyKit lab.
About chenopod pollen
A small, golf-ball-like weed pollen produced by saltbush, goosefoot and pigweed — one of the heaviest allergy loads in the arid Southwest.
Plants that produce it
- Four-wing saltbush and other Atriplex shrubs
- Lamb's quarters / goosefoot (Chenopodium album)
- Careless weed and other pigweeds (Amaranthus)
- Russian thistle / tumbleweed (Salsola)
- Iodine bush and quailbush in alkaline soils
How to recognize it
Spherical grain with dozens of evenly spaced round pores scattered across the whole surface (pantoporate), giving the classic golf-ball look. The wall is thin and smooth between pores, and grains often appear slightly collapsed on a dry mount.
Typical published size: 20–30 µm
Commonly confused with
- Nettle and hemp pollen — smaller and with only a few pores, not dozens
- Plantain pollen — pores are fewer, larger and set in a thicker wall
- Smut spores — no pores at all, and darker, more granular walls
Allergy relevance
Strongly allergenic and a major driver of late-summer and autumn hay fever in desert cities. Common symptoms are sneezing, clear runny nose, itchy eyes and asthma flare-ups.
Where it's found
Abundant across the Southwest, Great Basin, Texas and California, and present as weedy species throughout most of North America.
Also searched as: chenopod pollen, saltbush pollen, goosefoot pollen, pigweed pollen, careless weed pollen, atriplex pollen, chenopodium pollen.
Related pollen specimens
Citing this specimen: PollyMap Specimen Library. “Chenopod Amaranthus — verified microscope specimen.” pollymap.com/library/specimen/chenopod-amaranthus-pollen-9538fd
Expert discussion
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