Common Purslane

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{{Taxobox | color = lightgreen | name = Portulaca oleracea | image = Portulaca oleracea stems.jpg | image_width = 240px | regnum = Plantae | 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 Pigweed, Little Hogweed or Pusley), is an annual succulent in the family Portulacaceae. It is a native of India and the Middle East, which can reach 40 cm in height. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate leaves clustered at stem joints and ends. The yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up to 0.6 cm 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 soils and drought.

Image:Portulaca sativa 01.jpg 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. It can be used fresh as a salad, or cooked like spinach, and due to its mucilaginous quality it is also suitable for soups and stews.

Purslane contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant. It is one of the very few plants that contains the long-chain omega-3 EPA.Template:Ref  It also contains vitamins (mainly vitamin C, and some vitamin B and carotenoids, as well as dietary minerals, 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.

References

1. Template:Note Template:Cite web Biol Res 37: 263-277, 2004

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