Treatment here is provisional; most or all records may be transferred to C. missouriense (see notes under that name). In its narrow sense, this cosmopolitan weedy taxon probably originated in Eurasia, but it has been combined in various treatments with some native species, especially missouriense (and see notes under var. lanceolatum). These taxa are reportedly all hexaploids (2n = 54). There has also been some confusion with the tetraploid berlandieri complex, including bushianum. Both groups of plants appear to have a deep, ancient association with mankind, providing useful food in cooked greens and ground seeds. True album may be rare to absent across most of the southeastern states; it is reportedly much less frequent than missouriense in Indiana (Seeman & Wilson 1984) and Ohio (D. Boone and H. Ballard, pers. comm.).