Purslane

Common in our Sunnyvale yards but little known in the North American kitchen, purslane is both delicious and exceptionally nutritious. Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) — also known as duckweed, fatweed, pursley, pussley, verdolagas and wild portulaca — is the most frequently reported “weed” species in the world. It can grow anywhere that has at least a two-month growing season.

My wife’s family uses the purslane in a variation of the traditional Mexican stew “Puerco con Verdolagas“.

Details

Wild Portulaca, Purslane, Pigweed, Little Hogweed, Pusley, Verdolaga, Portulaca oleracea

Family: Portulacaceae
Genus: Portulaca (por-tew-LAK-uh) (Info)
Species: oleracea (awl-lur-RAY-see-uh) (Info)

Synonym:Portulaca neglecta
Synonym:Portulaca oleracea subsp. oleracea
Synonym:Portulaca retusa

Category: Annuals

Height: 6-12 in. (15-30 cm)

Spacing:
6-9 in. (15-22 cm)
9-12 in. (22-30 cm)
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)

Hardiness: Not Applicable

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Danger: N/A

Bloom Color: Bright Yellow

Bloom Time: Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Blooms repeatedly

Foliage: Herbaceous, Smooth-Textured, Succulent

Other details: May be a noxious weed or invasive
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Patent Information: Non-patented

Propagation Methods: From herbaceous stem cuttings
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost

Seed Collecting: Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds

Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/242/#ixzz3GpEQKnpz

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