Portulaca oleracea L.   Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)   Europe   Purslane   Common Purslane

                                             June Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Prostrate, fleshy, annual, the stems 1-2 dm. long; lvs. flat, obovate or cuneate, 5-25 mm. long, axils glabrous, scarious, or with a few hairs; fls. solitary or in clusters of 2-5 at stem tips, sessile, 3-6 mm. broad; sepals 2, keeled, acute, 3-4 mm. long; petals 5, pale yellow, inserted on the calyx; style deeply 5-6 parted; caps. 4-8 mm. long; seeds black, finely rugulose-pitted, ca. 0.6 mm. long.

Habitat:  Widely scattered weed in gardens, waste places, cismontane and desert.  May-Sept.

Name:  Portulaca, old Latin name, of uncertain application.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 715).  Oleracea from Latin holus, or holer, meaning vegetable.  It was used as a vegetable and still is.  (John Johnson).  The origin of the name "purslane" is unknown.  In some ancient herbals it is called "procelayne" and "purcelaine," while in the North American prairies it is "pussly."  (Hatfield 123).

General:  Rare in the study area, having been found only once and this in the Santa Ana Heights study area near the end of Mesa Dr.  (my comment).       Purslane is thought to be a native of India, where it was used two thousand years ago.  Pliny the Elder wrote 1900 years ago that it was good medicine to take for fevers.  It was once valued for its power to remove magic spells that were cast upon a person or his cattle.  The plant was scattered around the bed as protection from evil spirits and was also considered to be a sure cure for the striking of lighting or gunpowder.  Medicinally, it was used for many ailments, principally fevers, inflammations, coughs, insomnia and eye problems.  Purslane is found today in Mexican markets, where it is known as "Verdolaga."  Its succulence makes it a welcome addition to gumbos, soups, casseroles, and salads.  Stems are often made into pickles.  Seeds are gathered by placing plants on plastic sheeting and thrashing them out of their capsules.  They are then ground up to make a good buckwheat flour substitute.  Birds and rodents also relish these tiny black seeds, while fur and game animals browse the leaves and stems. (Clarke 208,209).       Purslane is a serious pest in lettuce fields in that the cultural practices of lettuce are favorable for the growth of the weed.  (Robbins et al. 173).      May accumulate toxic amounts of oxalates; has been suspected in Australia if poisoning sheep and cattle.  Sometimes used as a potherb, it is not reported toxic in the United States.  (Fuller 210).       Theophrastus, the ancient Greek known as the Father of Botany, was familiar with this plant.  Albertus Magnus, thirteenth-century general of the Dominican Order, also knew a great deal about plants and mentioned purslane in one of his books.  It made it appearance in England in 1582.  (Crockett 129).       The flowers are merely functional and must be removed because they make the plant tough and unfit for eating.  (Hatfield 123).       Portulaca oleracea was used by the Luiseno Indians of southern California as a green.  (Campbell 139). 

Text Ref:  Abrams Vol. II 135; Hickman, Ed. 905; Munz, Flora So Calif. 715; Robbins et al. 173; Roberts 34.

Photo Ref:  June 88 # 21A,22A,23A.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 380

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 6/7/03.

                                           June Photo