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Common Name: Green Purslane

General Information

Portulaca oleracea is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.25 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. Europe. A not infrequent casual in Britain.

Habitat

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

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.25 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a moist light rich well-drained soil in a sunny position[, , ]. Plants will not produce good quality leaves when growing in dry conditions[].
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[]. It can become an aggressive weed in areas where the climate suits it[].
The flowers only open in full sunlight[].
Purslane is occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[]. 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[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and stems - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. 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[, ]. Older leaves are used as a potherb[]. The leaves have a somewhat sour flavour[]. A spicy and somewhat salty taste[]. The leaves are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, though seed sources such as walnuts are magnitudes richer[]. The leaves can be dried for later use[]. They contain about 1.8% protein, 0.5% fat, 6.5% carbohydrate, 2.2% ash[]. 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[].
Seed - raw or cooked[, , ]. The seed can be ground into a powder and mixed with cereals for use in gruels, bread, pancakes etc[, ]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize[]. 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[]. In Britain, however, yields are likely to be very low, especially in cool or wet summers[]. The seed contains (per 100g ZMB) 21g protein, 18.9g fat 3.4g ash[]. 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[].
The ash of burnt plants is used as a salt substitute[].

Medicinal

The plant is antibacterial, antiscorbutic, depurative, diuretic and febrifuge[, , , , ]. 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[]. Seed sources such as walnuts, however, are much richer sources[]. The fresh juice is used in the treatment of strangury, coughs, sores etc[, , , ]. The leaves are poulticed and applied to burns[], both they and the plant juice are particularly effective in the treatment of skin diseases and insect stings[, ]. A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of stomach aches and headaches[]. The leaf juice is applied to earaches, it is also said to alleviate caterpillar stings[]. The leaves can be harvested at any time before the plant flowers, they are used fresh or dried[]. This remedy is not given to pregnant women or to patients with digestive problems[].
The seeds are tonic and vermifuge[, ]. They are prescribed for dyspepsia and opacities of the cornea[].

Other Uses

None known

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[]. 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[].