All the oxalis is coming out. As for the purslane I have a nagging recollection that they were pink flowers. I will transfer them to an empty planter and let them fend for themselves and see what blooms, at least they will stop taking over the bed.

I grow P.grandiflora so I don't have to deal with discerning between whether it's P.oleracea or P.umbraticola when I want to attack a weedpatch.I do like P.umbarticola a lot,maybe because the pretty flowers are growing from what I consider a weed,but that one I would keep restricted to a pot.

P.oleracea is becoming a trendy green in the upscale restaurants.It's called a super food because of its high content of Omega 3 acids and other minerals.It has a peppery taste like arugula and it can be eaten fresh or cooked. I guess the idea is, if you start harvesting it for food, then you won't end up with a quarter million of them. I have resisted consuming it because I abhor it as a thug,but I'm going to give it a go this year.Wish I had grown some Nasturtiums to add to that gummy weed salad.

It's so sad that in common WEIRD culture, a beautiful superfood (with the highest amount of Omega-3s of any plants!), that also grows effortlessly in heat & drought - is commonly branded a WEED to be gotten RID of???

"purslane contains more omega 3 fatty acids than any other plant source in the solar system, and an extraordinary amount for a plant, some 8.5
mg for every gram of weight. It has vitamin A, B, C and E — six times
more E than spinach — beta carotene — seven times more of that than
carrots — magnesium, calcium, potassium, folate, lithium — keep you sane
— iron and is 2.5% protein. Two pigments, one in the leaves and one in
the yellow blossoms, have been proven anti-mutagenic in lab studies,
meaning they help keep human cells from mutating, which is how cancer
gets started. And you get all that for about 15 calories per 100 gram
(three ounce) serving. As a mild diuretic, it might even lower your
blood pressure as well."

Who would even care if this spread across your entire yard (which it actually likely wouldn't)? That would only be an EXCELLENT thing...if it did!!! Because it's such a FREE nutritional and medicinal POWERHOUSE!!!

Many 'weeds' are edible and nutritious but gardeners are not only concerned with the usefulness of plants. They are also concerned with appearances and personal satisfaction. They have specific goals for their own plots. The dividing line between 'weeds' and desirables is porous. However, 'weeds' are generally designated as such precisely because they are highly successful species which can oust or weaken other species through competition. Many of us eat wild plants and leave some in the garden, especially in the veg plot. People have different tolerance levels but just letting them take over would make the whole practice of gardening pointless. "Who would even care if this spread across your entire yard" Well, anyone who considers themselves a gardener as opposed to a forager or naturalist. A garden is, by definition, artificial. If you just have a yard full of purslane you don't have a garden and you are not a gardener.

I was wondering how many people go through great lengths to rid there yards of purslane,even using round up, and then drive to Walmart and pay twelve dollars for a bottle of purslane extract pills without realizing it's the same plant they're spraying in the back yard?????

So killing P. oleracea makes one a gardener? For such a "horrifying" weed, it's not doing a very good job. I've never seen this plant in person, ever.

I did not come to a conclusion, I came to a confusion. I came to a question, well several, wondering if the statement "If you just have a yard full of purslane you don't have a garden and you are not a gardener" is true, then must the converse be true as well? That stopping / killing purslane is gardening and the one who stops it is a gardener? That an amount of purslane over a certain % of ones' garden eliminates it from being called a garden and its' owner a gardener? That one must have other plants along with purslane to have a garden? Cultivators of purslane are not gardeners? Are your comments exclusive to P. oleracea or inclusive of other species?

If there is an underlying implication that one must be in complete control of all plants on ones' property to have something called a garden, or to refer or think of themselves as a gardener, then I most strenuously disagree. I don't think you are, and that's an impossibility for many people who just do not have time. I spend about 10 hours per week pulling unwanted sprouts, mostly baby trees, but there is never a moment when they are all gone.

If my mowed area was magically changed to P. oleracea instead of weeds like Bermuda, St. Augustine, bahiagrass, torpedo grass, it wouldn't need to be mowed, I would rejoice. (And would not have had to spend more than double this years' plant budget on a hated lawn mower, and not have the continued expense and pollution of running it for several hours per month.) But if it was done by my effort, which would be monumental, I would consider it a great accomplishment, and rejoice, and it would be an extreme example within your definition that it is a controlled environment. It would have to be controlled to the point that it would take the spending of every daylight hour from Feb. - Nov. for the first few yrs to pull the grass sprouts and prevent its' general return. If only there was any plant so powerful as to be able to truly take over and eliminate the task of mowing. Mowing is controlling the environment. I don't consider mowing gardening.

I would rejoice if my non-mowed areas were magically covered with P. oleracea. Wherever I wanted to put something else, I would pull up enough purslane to make a home for the new plant, have a couple handfulls of lovely organic matter to compost, and gone would be worries about the sun baking the exposed soil to a dry, cracked, hard, lifeless hardpan. It takes some doing to get a good cover of P. umbraticola going under taller entities while waiting for my small property to produce enough organic matter to create a "mulch" over all of the planted areas. If P. oleracea showed up to help out, I would rejoice, and much more enjoy a "live mulch" that is green on the top surface with tiny yellow flowers (bonus!) vs being able to see the decomposing organic matter surrounding plants.

The discussion is amusing, TY, and always fun when trying to see things from other perspectives. I don't think any of us are going to let someone else define us or our gardens.

Well you have to look at the big picture you know. I felt a little bad about the you are not a gardener statement because of all the weeds that are currently invading my garden recently.The thing is, I have been living with stage 4 cancer for 9 years now and have had a couple serious complications lately that makes it impossible for me to get outside and maintain everything.In my heart I feel I'm a gardener it's just that I can't get out and make things the way I envision them to be so I can show others the true expression of who I am.That's why being laid up I have so much time on my hands. I know what Floral meant and I don't take it personally,she has a strong passion for the plant kingdom.Anyway's it's all moot because no one on here would ever literally allow there garden to turn into a Portulaca monoculture! Unless they're in the Purslane extract business selling plants to companies that make pills for wallmart.Don't sweat it! Chill out!

I'm clearly not getting my point across very well. My argument was with Blackrab's vehemence (including a fair sprinkling of capitals) that one shouldn't care if P oleracea (or any other useful 'weed') spread across one's entire garden. Indeed s/he considered it 'weird' not to allow it to. Gardening is an intentional activity. So just doing nothing and seeing what turns up isn't gardening in my book. If the intention is to have a garden entirely of 'weed' species and these are actively encouraged, directed or propagated then that would be gardening. But just letting them have their head with no positive input isn't in my view. We all have weeds in the garden. But it is the fact that we try to control them and have a vision that makes us gardeners. I have many edible wild plants around my garden and allotment. But they grow where I want them not just everywhere they happen to show up. Much of my gardening is editing rather than adding. If P oleracea grew in my climate I'd surely keep some. But it wouldn't be allowed to cover the whole garden.

BTW I don't have a lawn. But I do have grass paths on the allotment and I do consider mowing to be gardening. It's just pruning in another form. The clippings go on the compost and that is gardening too.

I do do things allbeit little at a time because of reasons explained, so I fit the definition I think.There is a lot things I know I need to do,but haven't gotten around to yet.Major,major editting. Trying to get a new vision which direction my garden should go.Bought about 5 or 6 new perrenials last year that didn't return and lost a couple that had been around longer.With all the weird weather from climate change and its negative and positive effects on different plants I will have to take a look at the plants that are thriving and consider adding more of them while subtracting those doing poorly plus a few non natives still lingering.Things have gotten a bit out of hand,but I am marvelling at the current result.2 and a half decades of gardening here and new seeds and plant's thrown into the mix every one of those years.So there is now a very diverse mixture of these plants, plus airborne and bird bombed and critter planted squatters also thrown in the mix.Every trip out there feels like a botanical expedition.Like walking down a nature path checking out all the new things.Must grab back control of the reins,but love the beauty of them wild horses!

Bird bombed, lol, I have a husband that randomly likes to putter around and plant sunflower seeds with total disregard for lighting requirements and/or spacing, he thinks it's funny. Does that count as husband bombed? Lol It is a little funny though, plus in his defense we've rarely actually seen any of them get past the cotelydon phase, some critter always eats them. Let me give you an example, the other day I found a few of his sunflower seedlings growing in a deck planter literally touching roots with an Allysum I grew from seed myself. So I did the right thing, I rescued them and pricked them out and potted them up when the time was right. When they were ready I gave them to him and asked him to plant them. He immediately plants them under the lip of a planter basket that's on it's side which is itself in complete shade! Lol. I think I'm counting that one as critter planted.

Wow Jaybirdyj, my heart goes out to you! You garden probably looks 10x better than mine! I don't agree with Tiffany, grass and lawn are a thing for a reason, because they look good, they are like a picture frame to our gardens. Mowing is definitely gardening, it's pruning or cutting back, it's cultivation.

Keep purslane if you want. But if you value growing other things, then remove it. Weeds are 'wild' plants growing where they are not wanted and are in competition with more desirable cultivated plants.

Sorry, was not trying to start a debate about what a "gardener" is...!

*** Warning - Permaculture rant ahead! :D ***

My point was to help reexamine some of our unquestioned cultural beliefs about our local environment, especially in light of the fact that humans are overtaking this planet at such an alarming rate!

"40% of the planet’s land is devoted to human food production, up from 7 percent in 1700. 50% of the planet’s land mass has been transformed for human use"

What this means is that as wild spaces all progressively become our domestic property, WE are now redefining our entire global biodiversity ONE LAWN AT A TIME. That's a lot of power and responsibility - that most of us aren't even aware of!

So...are we simply going to keep squandering all of this occupied arable land, water, energy, etc. resources just to grow a bunch of "purdy" (but functionally useless) bowling lawns...or try to help preserve native ecology and also propagate plants with more utility?

How does Purslane functionally stack up against common lawn grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, etc)? Why do we consider it and Dandelion, "weeds?" Just because they destroy our precious lawn MONOCULTURES? Is a "good" lawn one that has all biodiversity scrupulously removed, to keep some idealized "clean" slate? Is this the equivalent of when food products like flour, bread, sugar, etc. were all bleached white just to make them psychologically seem "cleaner" (if actually less nutritious)? Why are lawns commonly valued primarily just as something to look at or walk on...rather than to actually use for food and medicine?

Now, I'm still guilty of many of these behaviors myself too - but just thinking out loud & questioning myself here, as well!

Why do I not use my lawn as food? Um ... because I let my dogs run around on it, and therefore I'd rather not eat it. My grass gets mowed to decrease ticks, and well, that's really about all I do with it other than throw seed at it if the grubs kill a section. Things like crabgrass and dandelions get pulled out because I don't like how they look (no waving white puffs in the yard, please, and well, does anyone like crabgrass?) Violets and buttercups can stay; violets are even encouraged because I think they're cute. The other problem with letting things like crabgrass and purslane take over? They're annuals ... now maybe this is less of an issue in Texas, but in MA, that would be a problem.

Gratitude for the wake up call blackrab,well done.For the sake of the eviroment,and my own sanity (?? ??) I want to get the front lawn from being a Kentucky Bluegrass monoculture and make it more diverse,naural, healthier and beautiful.Want to incorporate some low growing,mowable new plants into it.Plants coming to mind are clovers and other legumes for nitrogen fixing,Bellis and now I know what to do with those Squill seedpods.Anything else parachuting in will be considered for citizenship.

"So...are we simply going to keep squandering all of this occupied arable land, water, energy, etc. resources just to grow a bunch of "purdy" (but functionally useless) bowling lawns...or try to help preserve native ecology and also propagate plants with more utility?"

Um, wow, Blackrab, did you just assume my gardening ethos?! Please speak for yourself. My gardens are probably much, much closer to your ideal than you could ever imagine. Most gardeners on this website seem to value native plants, and respect the symbiotic relationship our plants have with their environment/ the birds and the bees etc., at least that's what I've noticed. Also, some people don't pay for their water, I have a well.

Excellent point blueberry, I'm originally from Texas and you're right, that wouldn't be an issue. 0

oh wow !

blakrab seems to be picturing a pristine purslane patch as a lawn substitute. Portulaca oleracea is a summer annual. Yes it comes back from seed, but it is not dense enough to crowd out other weeds even during the summer. And with no purslane to cover the ground during the dormant hunk of the year, all manner of other weeds will take hold in the patch. Purslane is not going to hold land ownership against thistles, wild mustard, weedy grasses, etc. And those other fellows are not easy pull-um-ups. So what then? You will have a 6' tall, ugly, weedy patch with very few purslane plants. Swell.

Weeds aren't always ugly.All my Erigeron are blooming along with blue Larkspur and annual Coriopsis plus a few others. It reminds me of a Monet painting.The Erigeron will be removed before seed set.

This is all about an off the cuff,heat of the moment,not very significant,innocent remark, that to me sounded like it was never intended to offend anyone on here.Made by someone who just happens to really love the health benefits of Portulaca.What's the big deal? We are all stuck with Portulaca whether we want it or not.It's probably one of those plants that when you actually try cultivating it,it will die anyway.Everyone got to let off steam and now we all feel better so for that thanks blackrab,and if you like we could form a co-op and pool all our uprooted Purslanes together and have them all shipped by truck to you there in central Texas.Blueberry,thanks for the violet,buttercup suggestion!

Lol Jay, after this thread started I actually found some Purslane growing in my garden and I was so excited! I think I'll keep them where they're not in the way ;)

Not off the cuff--we have traveled down this road more than once. Honestly, if we ever get to the point we need to eat purslane to survive, I don't think we will have any trouble finding plants and seed to nurture for the purpose.

I can't grow food in my suburban yard because the f'n vermin get everything (squirrels, rabbits, deer, etc). Now if I was allowed to shoot them for food as well, then we'd have a real feast.

Very interesting inputs. Of course people will have different opinions, which is part of what I'm trying to say, not trying to get to a point where everyone agrees with my goals or aesthetic. No one opinion is "the" right one for all, and each should do what they find enjoyable with whatever property they tend or own.

I think some are projecting their personal dislike of P. oleracea onto others, as if it is a fact that it is a weed. Desirable is a value judgment, completely subjective.

In the lawn vs. purslane part of the discussion, I see this mowed area as an obstacle preventing me from growing other things, and a forced expense. This is just a small part of it the mowed area of our property. The mowed area usurped all budget for all things outdoors this year by requiring a new mower to tend it. Like others have mentioned, just because we "own" this property doesn't mean we can literally do whatever. If we did not want to mow the mowed areas, we would get a citation/fine. There are ordinances about mowing the mowed areas, as exist in most municipalities.

Birds, butterflies, bees, squirrels spend a lot of time in the cultivated areas, but only pass through the wasteland of mowed area. Summer here is a loud affair with mowers and blowers going almost constantly, somewhere nearby enough to be heard.

Here are some of the plants that are left in the more sunny spots after 3 months of no rain last summer.

The only one I really like is the rustweed, the lovely patch of ferny soft foliage in the middle. It would take decades to get it to cover the area.

Some kind of Euphorbia, Richardia, Pseudognaphalium, one of the better grasses that doesn't get tall enough to need to be mowed within a week.

Bahiagrass, makes these 15-18" tall seed things within 3-4 days after being mowed.

I think this is torpedograss.

It has no ability to cover anything, it just wants to get over "there."

This perky guy is around all year, the only thing resembling grass that stays green.

As said above, the reality of a large monoculture of purslane, or any other plant, is pure fantasy, always going to have other plants showing up in it, as lawns/mowed areas, and "flower beds" or "veggie patches" always do. I pay no attention beyond clinical curiosity and for purposes of documentation to what pops up in our mowed area. It's just the part of the property we're not using yet but must be mowed to conform to ordinances. These are my opinions, not meant to dictate anything to anyone, but to serve as example that opinions do vary.

2 books some might find enlightening.

Why does everyone have to mow a lawn? Virginia Scott Jenkins, The Lawn; a History of an American Obsession:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1098318.The_Lawn

What can be done instead? Bormann, Balmori, Geballe, Redesigning the American Lawn:
http://www.balmori.com/redesigning-the-american-lawn/

^ Agreed. There is clearly a spectrum of viewpoints out there, ranging from woo-woo shamanism to sustainable permaculture to "King of the Hill" mainstream to corporate profiteering, etc. And the more I've learned about plants...the more I've shifted towards shamanism over the years. It's a slippery slope, I tell ya, lol...

(So, this thread has triggered a lot of emotions because it subconsciously resonates on multiple levels. There is the desire to maintain homogeneous, conformist "quality control," symbolized by domesticated lawn grasses all regularly cut down to the same, uniform size by a motorized Grim Reaper - vs - the desire to allow nonconformist individualism, symbolized by tall, wild Dandelions that dare to stand out amongst the crew cut crowd. To only color inside the lines vs thinking outside the box? The fear of and desire to control Nature vs the desire to truly grok and follow Nature. Conflicts between natives and foreign invasives, edible and poisonous, plants. Relatively "good" diversity vs "bad" diversity. Etc, etc... Point being, there are much larger issues also symbolized by the plight of the lowly Purslane - hence all the heated discussion here.)

But I digress, back to the OT.

"blakrab seems to be picturing a pristine purslane patch as a lawn substitute."

Well, no need to play the telephone game here when everything is already fully-transcribed. And what I actually said was:

"Who would even care if this spread across your entire yard (which it actually likely wouldn't)?"

Behold, I actually agreed with you and most everyone else in this thread on this! Purslane doesn't do well with competition in temperate regions. The only time I've ever seen Purslane spread throughout a "lawn" was in a mowed field about an acre big. This red Purslane had spread all through it, interspersed with the grass. However, because it dies off when it simply gets cool, this only lasted a few months before it was gone again. But even at its peak, there was still plenty of grass around it. Purslane is just a sparse, low-growing ground cover that doesn't grow tall and shade out other plants. It COEXISTS well with others, and often stakes out low-rent hoods (like cracks in concrete) that no one else wants! I think that's where the popular confusion comes in...because it will grow where nothing else will, people assume that it will grow even better where everything else does.

But, it doesn't. Really, it's just an annual with a short growing season that probably only shows up in the most inhospitable places because it can't/won't compete with everything else in the higher rent districts and choice real estate!

In short - Purslane has unfairly gotten a really bad rap and deserves a reevaluation. In reality, it's a great, pretty, xeriscape, superfood plant that really only eagerly fills in the gaps that no other plants want. It won't take over your lawn because it (probably) hates competition. But even if it did, it is a low-growing annual with a short growing season. So, it's not something that is going to get overgrown or progressively larger perennially (like say, Poison Ivy). So, I say let it fill in your gaps and snack on it if you don't have outdoor pets!

lol You are presuming what members' gardens look like, and the types of plants they may contain, blakrab. The last plants I purchased was Deerweed (Lotus scoparius). The San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy begins their description of this native (the real natives--as in it grows in the immediate area where I live): Much of the year, deerweed looks like a discarded bundle of sticks..." Pretty certain that is going get me kicked out of that quality control, homogeneous, conformist, inside the box gardening club despite our 20' x 12' patch of manicured turfgrass.

^ Well, most of my arguments here are against the mainstream "WEIRD" mindset, that is what's largely reshaping our landscape on the whole. Whereas I would guesstimate that most of the posters here actually fall somewhere in between there and permaculture on the continuum. So, a lot of what I'm doing here is actually preaching to the choir...not lecturing against. Not to mention, half of you know more about plants than me - which is why I love this place! B)

The WEIRD mind also appears to be unique in terms of how it comes to
understand and interact with the natural world. Studies show that Western urban children grow up so closed off in man-made environments that their brains never form a deep or complex connection to the natural world. While studying children from the U.S., researchers have
suggested a developmental timeline for what is called “folkbiological
reasoning.” These studies posit that it is not until children are around
7 years old that they stop projecting human qualities onto animals and
begin to understand that humans are one animal among many. Compared to
Yucatec Maya communities in Mexico, however, Western urban children
appear to be developmentally delayed in this regard. Children who grow
up constantly interacting with the natural world are much less likely to
anthropomorphize other living things into late childhood.

Given that people living in WEIRD societies don’t routinely encounter or
interact with animals other than humans or pets, it’s not surprising
that they end up with a rather cartoonish understanding of the natural
world. “Indeed,” the report concluded, “studying the cognitive
development of folkbiology in urban children would seem the equivalent
of studying ‘normal’ physical growth in malnourished children.”

In our modern separation from living off the land, we've essentially come to view carpets and lawns as nearly one and the same. Something short and cushy to walk on, and to be kept and swept "clean." Let's resurface the world entirely in pavement or green carpet now - just take your pick!

But a mature land ecosystem is not short grassland, though. That is just the earliest pioneer stage. The climax stage is an old-growth forest - that sustainably provides abundant food and shelter to all its biodiverse inhabitants - not to mention helps regulate local water flow, ambient temperature, carbon, etc. etc.

some people don't pay for their water, I have a well

But I'm talking primarily about ecological impacts, not just financial ones. (Although ecological problems all eventually become financial ones, too.) Your water might be free financially, but certainly not environmentally. Fact is, aquifers all over the WORLD have been rapidly dropping and getting depleted now - which is yet another massive problem induced by us and our WHOLLY UNSUSTAINABLE mindsets/lifestyles. Ergo, all my permaculture rants here!

And I know my rants may sound rather radical, grim, and dire - but when you look at all the stats, studies, and personal observations - that's simply the overwhelming, stark REALITY we are facing today! As our human population has gone exponential, wildlife depopulation and resource depletion has too! Roughly HALF the world's wildlife has been lost in just the past 40 YEARS, people!!!

So, if we don't radically change our cultures and lifestyles NOW, what all will be left in another 40??? Plants and wildlife can't speak to us and have no lobbying groups - so it's up to us to take notice and responsibility ourselves...

jaybirdyj: "We are all stuck with Portulaca whether we want it or not. It's probably one of those plants that when you actually try cultivating it,it will die anyway."

Actually, you aren't far off. I have tried growing golden purslane in my vegetable garden a few times. It is a larger, more upright form of the common weed. Every time I tried growing it it was a leaf miner magnet making its leaves unfit for consumption. I'm sure it would do great under row covers but it wouldn't be worth the hassle for me since I considered it nothing more than a novelty.

Rodney

FWIW, I tried eating purslane leaves from my yard & found them to be tasteless & unpleasantly gooey

It is with much trepidation that I add to this thread but..........I do not like the taste of purslane and I have only a small spot to grow the vegetables that I do grow and eat. I will not allow purslane or oxalis or any other thug to take over what space I have. I appreciate that everyone has deep convictions on the state of the world of vegetation, but really guys, the original question was "is this a keeper". The answer is "it depends" for all the reasons so eloquently provided. But, given all the evidence and opinions offered, it is a personal decision. I find the forums very informative but sometimes I am absolutely amazed at how large the mole hills become.

Purslane is so aggressive in my climate that even the smallest piece / stem / root will grow/reproduce. Control of purslane is a misnomer. So, I say, put it in a pot or kill it. Whatever is appropriate for Vettin.

"Purslane is so aggressive in my climate that even the smallest piece / stem / root will grow/reproduce."

Would you mind taking a photo of it overtaking your flower beds - I assume? I'm just curious what people mean when they say how invasive it is, because other than the red Purslane growing in the grassy field I mentioned above, I've otherwise really only seen it grow in flower beds and pavement cracks (never actually in lush lawns) - like so:

It does not take over my flower beds as mulch helps to contain it. But I'll be happy to take and post a picture of how much it has over grown the bean plants in my vegetable garden in the last week alone. However, it will have to wait until the weekend when I have time to take the photo.

Once done, I will, as I said before, restrict my comments on this particular thread as I do not find it informative but contentious.

I here you Lynn. I think it's time to let this thread drop into oblivion.Feels like someone keeps hanging up the dirty laundry.How bout it folks,? Time for a brand new Portulaca thread?

Lynn, I'll take some pictures tomorrow, I have a bed with a lot of it. And it's taking over the grass surrounding the bed. It definitely does compete with turf grass because it's doing that exact thing in my lawn.

Also, I've decided that I personally prefer spurge to Purslane in terms of groundcover weeds. . . That is all!

I've seen it all spread out in garden beds and I am somewhat nearer to Lynn. Large as dinner plates.

One of the enjoyable features of GW in my view is precisely the way threads sometimes become conversations. It would be pretty dull if all posts resulted in simple short, factual answers with no subsequent discussion or further information. Sometimes people with practical experience can add a great deal of useful knowledge. Anyone who is not interested can simply stop reading, including the OP.

ETA - this post makes little sense now since it was a response to a post which has since been deleted.

How about a recipe for Portulaca oleracea?

Just the other day I saw one in my garden and nearly pulled it out. Then I asked myself why. It is not the sort of weed, imo, that would dream of taking over. I wouldn't mind tasting this plant rather than tossing it to the far corner.

I have thought I had found P. oleracea at various times & locations before, in sidewalk and parking lot cracks, brought pieces home, but it's always turned out to be P. umbraticola.

Epicurious .com
http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/what-to-do-cook-with-purslane-article

Chicogo Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/sns-food-recipes-sides-purslane-story.html

45 recipes:
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/ingredients-fine-foods/45-things-to-do-with-purslane/

Ok jay_6a - hit BACK and STOP READING THIS NOW!!! ;D

Well, different strokes for different folks...but I second floral_uk, because one of the things I actually LOVE about plants and Nature is how every tiny piece of it...is just the tip of a proverbial iceberg. Each part has its own entire, multidisciplinary curriculum that delves into history, food, health (Purslane extracts have been shown to be toxic to breast cancer, lung
cancer, cervical cancer, and sarcoma in scientific studies. And, recent
scientific information also reveals that Purslane green Extract Kills 83% of Liver Cancer Cells in Vitro: An extract of purslane seeds was shown in this new study to kill up to 83% of human liver cancer cells in vitro within 24 hours.), culture, biochemistry, geometry, evolutionary design, game theory, etc. etc.

1) Anyhow, there are a few things to keep in mind when foraging Purslane. Firstly, what you really want are the wild varieties of Portulaca oleracea (with small, yellow flowers & 6X as much Vitamin E & beta-carotene as spinach or carrots). As the more ornamental Portulaca grandiflora (with larger flowers of different colors) supposedly contains much more oxalic acid. Now, I'm not that sure about Portulaca umbraticola, (often mislabeled as simply Portulaca oleracea)?

The other most common (and toxic) analog is Euphorbia maculata (Spotted Spurge). It looks similar from a distance, but isn't a succulent and has milky white sap (rather than clear, mucilage gel).

2) It's often been sprayed with herbicide in efforts to eradicate it in urban settings. So, I wouldn't eat any unless you happen to find some out in the wild (unlikely) or have grown it yourself.

3) Like a number of veggies, Purslane does contain a high amount of oxalic acid, which is what gives it its slightly sour taste. Problem is, this "anti-nutrient" can cause kidney stones (oxalates) if consumed in high amounts in individuals with weak kidneys. So, to play it safe, a good traditional recipe is to combine it with a food high in calcium - like yogurt. This then binds the oxalic acid into insoluble oxalates before it gets to your kidneys...(the soluble oxalate content of the raw leaves was 53.0% which reduced to 10.7% when yoghurt was added). And like many other plants containing oxalic acid, Purslane itself already contains a fair amount of calcium (over a third of that of many leafy greens)...but some more certainly helps!

Although, if you are just eating a few sprigs and have healthy kidneys, it shouldn't be much of a concern...

4) Tastewise, a mucilaginous texture might be an acquired taste for some Americans. So, it's recommended that:

"The only thing to bear in mind with purslane is that you either want it raw/barely cooked through, or else you wanna cook the [heck] out of it,
probably with an acid along for the ride," she wrote. "Anything in
between is likely to seem unpleasantly slimy to the American palate."

5) So, in short, make sure you are harvesting:

a. Purslane - and not Spotted Spurge!

b. Portulaca oleracea specifically - for its lower oxalic acid content amongst Portulaca. (Not sure about Portulaca umbraticola, though?)

And then the simplest, safest recipe is to just eat it raw with yogurt (or other high-calcium food) to help neutralize any soluble oxalic acid in it.

Bon Appétit!

Blakrab, what a wealth of information- fascinating! Question- have you had your pots chips dipped in purslane yogurt? I'm simply curious!

^ You're welcome, thought I might as well write the definitive guide to Purslane picking for future reference here...

"pots chips dipped in purslane yogurt?"

Come again?

Hmmm....autocorrect while typing on the train. Meant "pita chips" because you would need a fancier chip for something so exotic.

^ Or cannabis chips dipped in purslane yogurt? 2 "weeds" for the price of 1?

Now that's an idea! B)

Seriously though, dipping purslane sprigs in yogurt actually sounds like a great, simple, cool, and refreshing summer snack! And maybe throw some mint in there, too?

P. umbraticola is not a hybrid, it is its' own species that was sold incorrectly as P. oleracea for a couple decades:

http://australianportulaca.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-history-of-portulaca-umbraticola-in.html

Many people think it is "the" purslane that is discussed when discussing edibility.

Hey you all. I am deeply sorry for my insane outburst a couple days ago.It was harsh,crude,and vulgar. I was thinking in my head that things should be a certain way instead of just rolling with the flow. I wasn't speaking to any of you personally I was more like condemning what I thought was a spirit of callousness and insensitivity.I know,it does sound crazy.Anyway I realized that I really don't know what's going on. I just want you all to be totally happy, so if you want to stretch this thread into the next 3 years than that's fine with me.Maybe I might visit for some great Purslane recipes.Please forgive me!

Sometimes punctuation can contort the perception of excitement as emotion, and clinical detachment is often perceived as callousness &/or insensitivity, but I promise the opposite is true, for 99.9% of the comments/commenters here. People who regularly spend some time trying to help others for no reward or compensation are very caring & generous, and just really love and enjoy plants, as you seem to too! So glad you feel more calm. I read everything with an assumption of friendliness and most posts seem friendly to me.

Purslane doesn't seem like the kind of thing that needs a recipe to me, just toss some here'n'there while cooking, like in a salad, meatloaf (where one can hide just about any healthy leafy green thing,) pureéd with other entities as a salad dressing or sauce, minced in rice, on a sandwich... so many ways to incorporate some without going all the way to committing to the idea of "I'm going to eat some purslane.... all by itself..." I almost always put some onion in dinner somewhere, but I don't think of the meal as "eating onion."

Tiffany, thanks for the fact-checking and correction! I updated my guide accordingly...

I had misinterpreted his introductory statement that that hybrid theory was a "reasonable presumption" to mean that it was correct. When in fact, it was not...

Based on his research, Portulaca umbraticola had already existed in the form of 2 native US subspecies and some in South America. And the commercialized ones we typically see today were most likely descended from those in South America.

Anyhow I really have no actual data on the oxalic acid content and edibility of Portulaca umbraticola, then.

But a few more interesting findings on how to lower oxalic acid content before even harvesting Purslane:

1) Purslane grown in the shade produces a little less oxalates (because UV light might stimulate oxalate production?)

2) Ammonium fertilizer lowers oxalic acid content in Purslane (although too much can acidify/burn the root zone).

3) Older, more mature plants with more leaves have far less oxalic acid.

The oxalic acid concentration of the stems and leaves were up to 45% lower at 16-true leaf stage than at 8-true leaf stage

4) So, to summarize, to minimize oxalic acid in Purslane BEFORE you even pick them - grow them a bit more in the shade, with some ammonium as fertilizer (but not too much), and then harvest them when they are more mature with more leaves.

PS - jay_6a - thanks for over-apologizing and coming back, as I've always really enjoyed your helpful IDs! Anyways, just to make this worth your click, I will now show you something that I can GUARANTEE you've never seen or known about our humble Purslane before...

What is this??? Is it some bizarre seashell? A stunning jigsaw puzzle of modern/primitive art?

Nope. This is a tiny Purslane seed...as seen under a stereomicroscope. Mother Nature is miraculous at seamlessly weaving together form & function, as this breathtaking masterpiece is also incredibly functional and viable for up to 40 years in the soil!

Like I said, this to me is what is so beautiful and mysterious about Nature, The deeper you go, the more you actually discover...

Which is why I'm so impassioned in my rants, here. Because if we simply view her handicrafts as pleasant or lowly "weeds," end of discussion...then we miss an entire, infinite treasure trove of majesty, utility, and beauty. Many of which are not immediately noticeable at a glance, unless we already know what we are looking for...or are just incredibly receptive/perceptive to new things. And if you are, then she will reveal much more to you (Shamanism 101)! :D