Purslane
Growth habit
Herbaceous
Perennation
Annual
Native distribution
India
Location
Source of plant
Nichols Garden Nursery
Description
Portulaca oleracea subsp. sativa, commonly called purslane is an annual, low growing plant with up to a 2-foot spread, with thick green oval leaves 1/2 to 3/4" long and thick reddish fleshy stems. Flowers are yellow. Probably originating in the region from the western Himalayas to southern Russia and Greece, today it is distributed over the hot temperate zones of a great part of the world. It is cultivated in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and other European countries, and is a popular winter vegetable in Northern India. The French call it pourpier and the Mexicans call it verdolaga, and both cultures use it in salads, soups, stews, tomato sauces, and even with scrambled eggs. Sativa means cultivated.It has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years. to get a general idea of the antiquity and geographic dispersion of its cultivation, one needs only note the various linguistic roots of the many common names applied to this plant, including Sanskrit, Hindustani, Persian, Greek, and Latin. Tenth-century Arabic treatises provide detailed information on varieties and cultivation. Seventeenth-century English recipes used by the cooks of Charles II list it as a salad ingredient.
USDA Hardiness Zone
2
Special characteristics
food