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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Portulaca oleracea''
| image = Portulaca oleracea stems.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Portulacaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Portulaca]]''
| species = '''''P. oleracea'''''
| binomial = ''Portulaca oleracea''
| binomial_authority = L.
}}
'''''Portulaca oleracea''''' ('''Common Purslane''', also known as '''Verdolaga''', '''Pigweed''', '''Little Hogweed''' or '''Pusley'''), is an [[Annual plant|annual]] [[succulent]] in the family [[Portulacaceae]], which can reach 40 cm in height. It is a native of [[India]] and the [[Middle East]], but is naturalised elsewhere and in some regions is considered an invasive [[weed]], but there is evidence that the species was in [[Crawford Lake]] deposits ([[Ontario]]) in 1430-89, suggesting that it reached North America in the pre-columbian era<ref>Byrne, R. and McAndrews, J. H. (1975), Pre-Columbian puslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) in the New World. Nature 253:726-727.</ref>. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate [[leaf|leaves]] clustered at stem joints and ends. The yellow [[flower]]s have five regular parts and are up to 6 mm wide. The flowers first appear in late spring and continue into mid fall. The flowers open singly at the center of the [[leaf]] cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens when the seeds are ready. Purslane has a [[taproot]] with fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted [[soil]]s and drought.
== Culinary usage ==
[[Image:portulaca_sativa_01.jpg|left|thumb|A Purslane cultivar grown as a vegetable]]
Although purslane is considered a [[weed]] in the [[United States]], it can be eaten as a [[leaf vegetable]]. It has a slightly sour and salty taste and is eaten throughout much of [[Europe]] and [[Asia]].<ref>[http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7461.html Pests in Landscapes and Gardens: Common Purslane. ''Pest Notes University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 7461''. October 2003]</ref> It can be used fresh as a [[salad]], or cooked like [[spinach]], and because of its [[mucilage|mucilaginous]] quality it is also suitable for [[soup]]s and [[stew]]s. [[Australian Aborigines]] used to use the seeds to make [[seedcakes]].
Purslane contains more [[Omega-3 fatty acid]]s than any other leafy [[vegetable]] plant. Simopoulos states that Purslane has .01 mg/g of EPA. This is an extraordinary amount of EPA for land based vegetable sources. EPA is an Omega-3 fatty acid normally found mostly in fish and some algae. <ref>[http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0716-97602004000200013&script=sci_arttext ARTEMIS P SIMOPOULOS Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Antioxidants in Edible Wild Plants. 2004. ''Biol Res 37: 263-277, 2004'']</ref> It also contains [[vitamin]]s (mainly [[vitamin C]], and some [[vitamin B]] and [[carotenoids]]), as well as [[dietary mineral]]s, such as [[magnesium]], [[calcium]], [[potassium]] and [[iron]]. Also present are two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish betacyanins (visible in the coloration of the stems) and the yellow betaxanthins (noticeable in the flowers and in the slight yellowish cast of the leaves). Both of these pigment types are potent antioxidants and have been found to have antimutagenic properties in laboratory studies.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
== Medicinal usage ==
In Greek popular medicine, purslane is used as a remedy for [[constipation]] and [[inflammation]] of the [[urinary system]]. In antiquity its healing properties were thought so reliable that [[Pliny]] advised wearing the plant as an amulet to expel all evil (''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'' 20.120). <ref name=Fragiska>Megaloudi, Fragiska (2005). Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity. ''Environmental Archaeology'' '''10''' (1): 73-82</ref>
== History ==
Widely used in [[Greece]], archaeobotanical finds are common at many [[prehistoric]] sites. In [[historic]] contexts, seeds have been retrieved from a [[protogeometric]] layer in [[Kastanas]], as well as from the [[Samian]] [[Heraion]] dating to 7th century BC. [[Theophrastus]] in the 4th century BC names purslane, ''andrákhne'', as one of the several summer pot herbs that must be sown in April (''H.P'' 7.12).<ref name=Fragiska/>
Known as ''"Sanhti or Punarva"'' in North India it is known to act as a liver tonic and is used in diseases of the liver.
==References==
<references />
==External links==
{{commons|Portulaca oleracea}}
{{wikispecies}}
*[http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm Edible Landscaping With Purslane]
* {{FloraBase | name = Portulaca oleracea | f=111 | level=s | id=2884}}
[[Category:Portulacaceae]]
[[Category:Flora of Ashmore and Cartier Islands]]
[[Category:Flora of Brazil]]
[[Category:Flora of the Coral Sea Islands Territory]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Lawn weeds]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Portulaca oleracea''
| image = Portulaca oleracea stems.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Portulacaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Portulaca]]''
| species = '''''P. oleracea'''''
| binomial = ''Portulaca oleracea''
| binomial_authority = L.
}}
'''''Portulaca oleracea''''' ('''Common Purslane''', also known as '''Verdolaga''', '''Pigweed''', '''Little Hogweed''' or '''Pusley'''), is an [[Annual plant|annual]] [[succulent]] in the family [[Portulacaceae]], which can reach 40 cm in height. It is a native of [[India]] and the [[Middle East]], but is naturalised elsewhere and in some regions is considered an invasive [[weed]], but there is evidence that the species was in [[Crawford Lake]] deposits ([[Ontario]]) in 1430-89, suggesting that it reached North America in the pre-columbian era<ref>Byrne, R. and McAndrews, J. H. (1975), Pre-Columbian puslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) in the New World. Nature 253:726-727.</ref>. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate [[leaf|leaves]] clustered at stem joints and ends. The yellow [[flower]]s have five regular parts and are up to 6 mm wide. The flowers first appear in late spring and continue into mid fall. The flowers open singly at the center of the [[leaf]] cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens when the seeds are ready. Purslane has a [[taproot]] with fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted [[soil]]s and drought.
== Culinary usage ==
[[Image:portulaca_sativa_01.jpg|left|thumb|A Purslane cultivar grown as a vegetable]]
Although purslane is considered a [[weed]] in the [[United States]], it can be eaten as a [[leaf vegetable]]. It has a slightly sour and salty taste and is eaten throughout much of [[Europe]] and [[Asia]].<ref>[http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7461.html Pests in Landscapes and Gardens: Common Purslane. ''Pest Notes University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 7461''. October 2003]</ref> It can be used fresh as a [[salad]], or cooked like [[spinach]], and because of its [[mucilage|mucilaginous]] quality it is also suitable for [[soup]]s and [[stew]]s. [[Australian Aborigines]] used to use the seeds to make [[seedcakes]].
Purslane contains more [[Omega-3 fatty acid]]s than any other leafy [[vegetable]] plant. Simopoulos states that Purslane has .01 mg/g of EPA. This is an extraordinary amount of EPA for land based vegetable sources. EPA is an Omega-3 fatty acid normally found mostly in fish and some algae. <ref>[http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0716-97602004000200013&script=sci_arttext ARTEMIS P SIMOPOULOS Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Antioxidants in Edible Wild Plants. 2004. ''Biol Res 37: 263-277, 2004'']</ref> It also contains [[vitamin]]s (mainly [[vitamin C]], and some [[vitamin B]] and [[carotenoids]]), as well as [[dietary mineral]]s, such as [[magnesium]], [[calcium]], [[potassium]] and [[iron]]. Also present are two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish betacyanins (visible in the coloration of the stems) and the yellow betaxanthins (noticeable in the flowers and in the slight yellowish cast of the leaves). Both of these pigment types are potent antioxidants and have been found to have antimutagenic properties in laboratory studies.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
== Medicinal usage ==
In Greek popular medicine, purslane is used as a remedy for [[constipation]] and [[inflammation]] of the [[urinary system]]. In antiquity its healing properties were thought so reliable that [[Pliny]] advised wearing the plant as an amulet to expel all evil (''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'' 20.120). <ref name=Fragiska>Megaloudi, Fragiska (2005). Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity. ''Environmental Archaeology'' '''10''' (1): 73-82</ref>
== History ==
Widely used in [[Greece]], archaeobotanical finds are common at many [[prehistoric]] sites. In [[historic]] contexts, seeds have been retrieved from a [[protogeometric]] layer in [[Kastanas]], as well as from the [[Samian]] [[Heraion]] dating to 7th century BC. [[Theophrastus]] in the 4th century BC names purslane, ''andrákhne'', as one of the several summer pot herbs that must be sown in April (''H.P'' 7.12).<ref name=Fragiska/>
Known as ''"Sanhti or Punarva"'' in North India it is known to act as a liver tonic and is used in diseases of the liver.
==References==
<references />
==External links==
{{commons|Portulaca oleracea}}
{{wikispecies}}
*[http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm Edible Landscaping With Purslane]
* {{FloraBase | name = Portulaca oleracea | f=111 | level=s | id=2884}}
[[Category:Portulacaceae]]
[[Category:Flora of Ashmore and Cartier Islands]]
[[Category:Flora of Brazil]]
[[Category:Flora of the Coral Sea Islands Territory]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Lawn weeds]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
