Blitum bonus-henricus (syn. Chenopodium bonus-henricus), also called Good-King-Henry, poor-man's asparagus, perennial goosefoot, Lincolnshire spinach, Markery, English mercury, or mercury goosefoot, 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.
There have been several hypotheses concerning the naming of the plant. One is that the name originates from the German “Guter Heinrich” (Good Henry) to distinguish it from “Böser Heinrich” (Bad Henry) which is a poisonous plant and refers to Mercurialis perennis. They are best when they are young, as older foliage tends to become fibrous. Moreover, they may develop a more pronounced bitter taste, and the oxalic acid content of larger leaves that are in a later developmental stage is higher than in small, young leaves.
Economic aspects
Good-King-Henry has not been incorporated into large scale markets. Because of this, it may face difficulties competing for a market niche already dominated by mass-produced leafy greens such as spinach. This difficulty has been documented in other leafy green alternative crops, such as Chaya. In Chaya the primary inhibiting factors towards market growth were low demand due to a lack of consumer awareness and low profitability over traditional crops.