日本語版

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)

小さな黒褐色の種子が山になっている写真

ワウソントレ（Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae）の種子。メキシコ中央部で先スペイン期から利用される擬似穀物・キレテで、種子だけでなく若い花序も食用にされる。

写っているもの: Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae（ワウソントレ）部位・状態: 種子

写真: HuriAguilar／ CC BY-SA 3.0／ 原画像／ 台帳の原画像

写真の範囲と来歴

被写体の確認: 原典の記載による同定。

掲載画像: Wikimedia Commons の原寸ファイル。苦味研究所では切り抜き・色調変更なし。 表示用には幅1200px上限のWebPを配信し、台帳の原画像は上のリンクから確認できます。

On this page (7 sections)
  1. Overview
  2. Sources for this overview (1)
  3. Topic hubs
  4. Other names
  5. Follow the connections
  6. Related entries (8)
  7. Composition and content (3)
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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

  1. Contribución a la composición química de las inflorescencias del huazontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae)

    Ruiz Arellano, Marlene (tutora: Ovalle Magallanes, Berenice) / 2025 / thesis / full text checked

    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)

huazontle / quelite cenizoAn annual pseudocereal in the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae). It belongs to the same genus as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and shares similar morphological and nutritional traits. It has been eaten in the Basin of Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. is classified as: contextual
The source describes huazontle as an annual goosefoot-family pseudocereal in the same genus as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), sharing morphological and nutritional traits.
Source: Contribución a la composición química de las inflorescencias del huazontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae) (Ruiz Arellano, Marlene (tutora: Ovalle Magallanes, Berenice), 2025) · full text checked
Show dataorganism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliae —is_a→ "An annual pseudocereal in the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae). It belongs to the same genus as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and shares similar morphological and nutritional traits. It has been eaten in the Basin of Mexico since pre-Hispanic times."
claim: clm-huazontle-taxonomy / type: taxonomy / updated: 2026-09-01
huazontle inflorescence is prepared from huazontle / quelite cenizosupported

Scope: Young inflorescences, as well as seeds, are used as edible parts.

Seeds are the most used part, but young inflorescences are also described as edible; the thesis itself analyzes inflorescence extracts.
Source: Contribución a la composición química de las inflorescencias del huazontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae) (Ruiz Arellano, Marlene (tutora: Ovalle Magallanes, Berenice), 2025) · full text checked
Show dataingredient-huazontle-inflorescence —is_prepared_from→ organism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliae
claim: clm-huazontle-inflorescence-from-species / type: taxonomy / updated: 2026-09-01
Chenopodium triterpenoid saponins occurs in huazontle / quelite cenizocontextual

Scope: 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.

Cites Lazo-Vélez et al. (2016) as having detected 12 triterpenoid saponins in germinated seeds by CLAE-EM-TOF, with the major sapogenins being oleanolic acid and hederagenin.
Limitations: The paper's own experimental subject was flower cluster extract, not seeds; this description is a secondary citation from prior research.
Source: Contribución a la composición química de las inflorescencias del huazontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae) (Ruiz Arellano, Marlene (tutora: Ovalle Magallanes, Berenice), 2025) · full text checked
Show datacompound-class-chenopodium-saponins —occurs_in→ organism-chenopodium-berlandieri-nuttalliae
claim: clm-chenopodium-saponins-occur-in-huazontle / type: composition / updated: 2026-09-01

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