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Chenopodium detestans, more commonly known as the New Zealand fish-guts plant, is an endangered species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae.

Description
The New Zealand fish-guts plant is quite aptly named since it is most recognisable by its foul smell of rotting fish.

It is a prostrate, herbaceous plant that spreads in patches up to 800 mm in diameter. The stems are branched, stiff, and slender to 30 cm long and its leaves fleshy and rhombic in shape. Flowers of the fish-guts plant are grey-green in colour and grow as axillary or terminal spike clusters. The seed of the plant are small (1-1.2 mm diameter), circular and dark purple to brown in colour, and are aligned in perianth horizontally.

Distribution
The plant is indigenous to the South Island of New Zealand only, and the species has been observed from Canterbury between Lake Lyndon and Lake Pearson to Otago at the outlet of Lake Hawea. The plant was first discovered in 1877 at Lake Lyndon and the upper Waitaki Valley by Thomas Kirk, a renowned botanist.

Chenopodium detestans thrives in open and sparsely-vegetated ground such as tussock-grassland, clay and salt pans, and dried river or lake beds.

The plant would be considered endemic to New Zealand if it were not for individuals of the species that have been suspected to be naturalised in New South Wales of Australia.

Life cycle
The life cycle of the fish-guts plant has not been closely studied, but it is thought to be an annual or short-lived perennial plant. It flowers from September to March and fruits from December to May.

Its seeds are dispersed by wind and water and there has not been any documented successes at growing the species, however the seeds should germinate easily.

Interactions
C. detestans has been in decline due to the loss of suitable habitats. Changes in land use, introduced plant species and an increase in farm animals have led to less open, sparsely-vegetated habitats for it to grow.

The plant has been seen thriving in sheep farms in Upper Waitaki Valley on clay and salt pans. The species is most likely unpalatable to sheep due to its smell, so livestock can help to clear taller, more appealing plants to decrease competition.

Further information
There is another plant also known as the fish-guts plant- Chenopodium vulvaria. However, it is an exotic plant that originates from Europe, West Asia and North Africa that has been naturalised in New Zealand since 1988.