Purslane

Portulaca oleracea

Garden or Green Purslane Purslane Habitat and cultivation

Purslane - sprawling annual with fleshy stems from 15-30cm (62in) that are tinged with pink. The thick, succulent leaves grow in clusters and are bright green and spatulate. In late summer solitary or groups of two to three small yellow flowers appear, blooming for only a short period.

Fresh purslane has been eaten in India and the Middle East for centuries. The wild variety was introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages and several varieties were developed from it, notably green and golden purslane. In England, cultivation of garden purslane is thought to have begun relatively late, in the second half of the sixteenth century.

Purslane has a rather sharp taste, and may be eaten raw, boiled or pickled. In Middle Eastern cookery, the cooked plant is added to a traditional bread-based salad called fattoush. In France, it was customary to prepare the classic soup bonnefemme with equal parts of sorrel and fresh purslane. Purslane was a popular salad herb in Elizabethan England. For winter use, the thicker stems of older plant were salted and pickled in vinegar. At the end of the eighteenth century, purslane fell out of favor. Today it is rarely eaten in England, although some recipes suggest steaming the young stems in the manner of asparagus.

Culpeper prescribed the herb for painful gout, and the leaves were commonly applied to sores and inflammations. Purslane also acquired a reputation for easing the pain of sensitive teeth -'teeth that are set on edge with the eating of sharpe and soure things'. Later, the fresh plant was found to be a rich source of vitamin C and so was employed in the prevention of scurvy. Purslane tea also has diuretic properties and was drunk as a tonic. Today the herb is rarely used medicinally.

Sow seed in spring in light, well-drained soil. Plant out seedlings 15cm (6in) apart in a sheltered, sunny position and water well. The leaves are ready for harvesting after six to eight weeks. Golden purslane or Portulaca sativa, a sub-species, is not so hardy but has attractive yellow leaves.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Purslane is developed from the wild variety that probably originated in the Middle East. Widespread in temperate and sub-tropical zones from China west to Europe. Naturalized in North and South America and also found in the UK. Purslane prefers dry, nitrogen-rich soils and sunny situations.