Winter Purslane, Claytonia perfoliata
Description
Winter Purslane, also known as miner's lettuce, Indian lettuce or spring beauty, is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. It is a tender, rosette-forming plant that grows to about 30 cm in height. It produces small, five-petalled pink or white flowers which appear from February to June and grow above a pair of leaves that are connected together around the stem so as to appear as a single circular leaf. The common name miner's lettuce refers to how the plant was used by miners during the California Gold Rush, who ate it to prevent scurvy. The whole plant is edible, with the exception of the roots, ansd is often added to salads or used as a pot-herb or spinach substitute.
Winter Purslane Checklist
Habitat
🐑 Grassland, including paddocks, fields and meadows.
🏡 Urban Green Spaces, including scrubland, parks and gardens.
🏢 Urban Environments, wasteland, Streets and pavements.
🚜 Hedgerows, including field edges.
Season
🌸🌞🍂❄️ Jan - Dec
Leaves
☘️ Broad, green and ovate. The basal leaves (those at the top of the plant) are stemless and look as though they are fused together with the flower stalk poking through the centre. This is a key identifying feature of the plant.
Flowers
🌷 Small, five-petalled pink or white flowers which appear from February to June. They grow above a pair of leaves that are connected together around the stem so as to appear as a single circular leaf.
Stem
🌱 Stems are long, straggling, smooth and pale green.
Edible Parts
☘️ Leaves
🌷 Flowers
🌱 Stem
Aroma / Taste
👃 Indistinct Aroma.
👅 Leaves are slightly bitter, a little like raw lettuce or spinach when cooked.
ID Notes
🟩 ID Difficulty - Beginner
👀 The distinctive conjoined leaves below the flowers is a key identifier of this plant.
Uses
🥗 Salad - can be eaten raw and added to salads.
🥬 Green - can be cooked as a vegetable.