A small, upright herb that can grow up to 3 m high, but rarely gets above about 1m. The stems are ribbed and often tinged with purple or red. It has large silvery-green alternate leaves from 2-8 cm long and from 0.5-5 cm wide with toothed margins. It has dense clusters of tiny green flowers, and seeds are flattened with a marginal notch, brownish green to black. Fat hen is a summer annual which dies back completely over the rest of the year. It reproduces by seed, which can last for many years in the soil.

Read the article in Winter – Week 9