Portulaca oleracea

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Portulaca oleracea
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Mesic
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Self Pollinated
Height:1'
Width:1'
Speed:Fast
Blooms:Early Summer-Early Fall
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Portulaca oleracea (common name: green purslane)

Propagation: Seed - for an early crop, the seed is best sown under protection in early spring and can then be planted out in late spring[1]. Outdoor sowings in situ take place from late spring to late summer, successional sowings being made every two to three weeks if a constant supply of the leaves is required[1].

Cultivation: Requires a moist light rich well-drained soil in a sunny position[1][2][3]. Plants will not produce good quality leaves when growing in dry conditions[1].

A perennial plant in warmer climates than Britain, purslane is killed by frost but can be grown as a half-hardy annual in this country[4]. It can become an aggressive weed in areas where the climate suits it[5].

The flowers only open in full sunlight[6].

Purslane is occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[7]. The plants take about six to eight weeks to produce a crop from seed and can then be harvested on a cut and come again principle, providing edible leaves for most of the summer[1].

Range: S. Europe. A not infrequent casual in Britain.

Habitat: Fields, waste ground, roadside verges, cultivated ground and by the sea[8].

Edibility: Leaves and stems - raw or cooked[4][1][9][10][2]. The young leaves are a very acceptable addition to salads, their mucilaginous quality also making them a good substitute for okra as a thickener in soups[1][7]. Older leaves are used as a potherb[1]. The leaves have a somewhat sour flavour[11]. A spicy and somewhat salty taste[12]. The leaves are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, though seed sources such as walnuts are magnitudes richer[13]. The leaves can be dried for later use[11]. They contain about 1.8% protein, 0.5% fat, 6.5% carbohydrate, 2.2% ash[14]. Another analysis gives the following figures per 100g ZMB. 245 - 296 calories, 17.6 - 34.5g protein, 2.4 - 5.3g fat, 35.5 - 63.2g carbohydrate, 8.5 - 14.6g fibre, 15.9 - 24.7g ash, 898 - 2078mg calcium, 320 - 774mg phosphorus, 11.2 - 46.7mg iron, 55mg sodium, 505 - 3120mg potassium, 10560 - 20000ug B-carotene equivalent, 0.23 - 0.48mg thiamine, 1.12 - 1.6mg riboflavin, 5.58 - 6.72mg niacin and 168 - 333mg ascorbic acid[15].

Seed - raw or cooked[16][17][18]. The seed can be ground into a powder and mixed with cereals for use in gruels, bread, pancakes etc[7][19]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize[11]. In arid areas of Australia the plants grow quite large and can produce 10, 000 seeds per plant, a person can harvest several pounds of seed in a day. The seeding plants are uprooted and placed in a pile on sheets or something similar, in a few days the seeds are shed and can be collected from the sheet[19]. In Britain, however, yields are likely to be very low, especially in cool or wet summers[K]. The seed contains (per 100g ZMB) 21g protein, 18.9g fat 3.4g ash[15]. Fatty acids of the seeds are 10.9% palmitic, 3.7% stearic, 1.3% behenic, 28.7% oleic, 38.9% linoleic and 9.9% linolenic[15].

The ash of burnt plants is used as a salt substitute[7].

Medicinal: The plant is antibacterial, antiscorbutic, depurative, diuretic and febrifuge[1][8][20][21][22]. The leaves are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which is thought to be important in preventing heart attacks and strengthening the immune system[22]. Seed sources such as walnuts, however, are much richer sources[13]. The fresh juice is used in the treatment of strangury, coughs, sores etc[1][8][20][21]. The leaves are poulticed and applied to burns[13], both they and the plant juice are particularly effective in the treatment of skin diseases and insect stings[8][22]. A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of stomach aches and headaches[13]. The leaf juice is applied to earaches, it is also said to alleviate caterpillar stings[13]. The leaves can be harvested at any time before the plant flowers, they are used fresh or dried[22]. This remedy is not given to pregnant women or to patients with digestive problems[22].

The seeds are tonic and vermifuge[15][23]. They are prescribed for dyspepsia and opacities of the cornea[15].

Pollinators: Insects, self

Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
  3. ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  5. ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
  6. ↑ Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
  9. ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
  10. ↑ Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
  12. ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
  14. ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
  16. ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
  17. ↑ Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.
  18. ↑ McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  23. ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.


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