Purslane

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is one of those weeds that we have all seen but never knew what it was.

It is usually found in our garden, flower bed, or the cracks of our sidewalks and driveway. The red stems and thick green leaves are easy identifiers of succulent plants. One plant can produce up to 240,000 seeds per year. Some seeds have been known to lay dormant for 40 years before germinating.  The good news is that it is an annual and easily controlled with a season long pre-emergence. It can also be easily controlled by roundup in non turf areas and broadleaf herbicides in turf areas.

Purslane can be found worldwide in all sorts of soil conditions. Also edible, purslane is high in fiber, essential amino acids, vitamin A,C, and E and low in calories.  Even though its high in Omega-3 fatty acid, I think I will stick to my salmon and fish oil pills. Purslane leaves are known to have a slight lemon flavor and a nice succulent crunch that tastes good with a salad. Don’t tell my wife this because she is crazy enough to put it in my dinner!