Where is this species of purslane found?  And what are its botanical attributes? 

 

The book Botany in a Day: The Patterns of Plant Identification by Thomas Elpel, gives the following botanical classification information.

 

                        Flowering Plants Division

                        Dicotyledon Class

                        Pink Subclass

                        Pink Order

                        Portulacaceae – Purslane Family

 

Key Words:  Succulent plants often growing in intense sunlight.  Two sepals.

 

“Purslane is a succulent, reddish-green plant found growing flat on the ground, with fat stems and small, fat leaves.”  “…The plants of this family are succulent herbs with regular, bisexual flowers.  There are usually 2 sepals and 4 to 6 petals…”   “The ovary is positioned superior or half-inferior and consists of 2 to 8 united carpels forming a single chamber.  It matures as a capsule that opens along three seams, or by a cap-like top.  Many members of this family are particularly adapted to dry areas with intense sunlight.  Worldwide, there are about 19 genera and 580 species.  Nine genera are native to North America.  Most are found in Western States.” (6)

 

Regarding Portulaca oleracea, author Thomas Elpel notes that it originally came from India, and is uncommon in Montana except in some gardens, but is more prolific further south.  The whole plant is edible raw or cooked, and is high in carbohydrates, as well as proteins, omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin E.  When purslane is picked and dried, it causes the plant to use stored moisture to finish developing the seed pods.

 

In the Peterson Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Steven Foster and Christopher Hobbs, this purslane variety (Portulaca oleracea) is described as a “widespread weed of disturbed sites, cultivated areas and gardens.”  “Branching, low-spreading, succulent annual, to 1 ft. leaves alternate, spatula-shaped, smooth, shiny; tips rounded.  Upper leaves clustered beneath flowers, hairless in axils.  Flowers yellow, stalkless, with only 2 sepals, solitary or in clusters at stem tips; petals 5; stamens several; style deeply 5-6 branched.  May – Nov.” (7)

 

In the English herb book Practical Herb Garden, purslane is described as “a half-hardy annual, with pink, prostate, much-branched stems and rounded, fleshy, bright-green leaves, it grows to about 30 cm (12 in.).  It has very small, yellow flowers in late summer which soon fade to reveal the seed capsules with opening lids and filled with numerous black seeds.”   “…Native to southern Europe, Asia and China, introduced elsewhere.  Occurs on dry, sandy soils in sunny sites.  “…Propagated from seed, sown after danger of frost in cool temperature regions…” (8)

 

In the book Wild Edible Plants of the Western United States, author Donald Kirk says the following about purslane (Portulaca oleracea):  “The species listed above is reported to be a native of India, from whence it spread, first to southeast Asia, then to Europe, and finally to the New World, where it has become well established throughout.  It is an excellent food plant that has been in recorded use for several thousand years.  Europeans use it extensively, as did the American pioneers.  In view of this, it is surprising that today this superb food plant is considered an obnoxious weed in gardens.” (9)

 

In the Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, author Bradford Angier talks of how Henry David Thoreau made note of purslane being very edible.  Since that time, purslane has become far more widespread across the United States.  The author states “The reason for this amazing distribution is the purslane’s incredible production of seeds, more than 52,000  of which have been counted on a single common, ordinary plant, something that is all the more miraculous because of the fact that these wild edibles do not grow large.”

 

“The ground-embracing annual trails and crawls over many a garden, spreading broadly and sometimes forming mats.”  “…Although generally spurned as a weed in Canada and the U.S., it is often the likeliest edible in the yard, especially because if you’ll cut off just the tender leafy tips, they’ll sprout again in short order, making it possible for just a few plants to keep you supplied with greens from June until October, unless frost intervenes.”

 

“The semisucculent pusley, as it is often called, has fleshy, paddle-shaped leaves that grow in rosettes, each with a tiny yellow flower.”  “…Opening only on bright sunshiny mornings, the little flowers become tiny specks of yellow at the forkings of the stems.” (10)