miner’s lettuce, winter purslane
Here is a New Year message to anyone who has any sort of an outside patch, be it balcony or container,
Claytonia perfoliata is easily recognised, it has two types of leaves: the rosette or basal leaves that are shaped like the ace of spades and have longer stems, and stem leaves whose bases join at the stem and seem to form a circle around the tiny white flowers – hence the species name (per through + folium leaf). The leaves are bright green and succulent and can be cultivated at almost any time of the year – in the winter months, if you have an unheated greenhouse, cold frame or cloche, you will get an enhanced crop! It has a mild flavour but is very nutritious, high in Vitamin C and can be eaten raw or cooked. It doesn’t like hot and dry conditions, but prefers a semi-shady, cool, damp location which is why you don’t so often see it in the summertime.
A prolific self-seeder, (but not considered invasive) it is shallow-rooted and easy to remove, this hardy annual originally came from North America; it is thought that the common name derives from its use during the 1850s California Gold Rush, as a prevention against scurvy.
Siberian purslane (Claytonia sibirica) belongs to the same family but its flowers are larger and they are pink. This one is also edible and will grow in shade.
NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 and is for sale in our online shop here.
More NB If you’re not already a subscriber and you’d like a bit more gardening chitchat from the3growbags, please type your email address here and we’ll send you a new post every Saturday morning.
2 replies on “Claytonia perfoliata”
Hi Growbags
I love your articles, and I garden for Louise’s sister, Judith, and it was through their Mother that I learned such a lot.
Anyway, I am not a tech person, but what about Instrgaramming to say what a keen gardener Sir Daid Beckham is. Would that get young folks thinking differntly?
Hi Jane, thank you for writing in. We are very glad to hear that you like our garden chat – we certainly love writing it – and you’re right, there’s nothing like a cool celebrity name for awakening interest in a topic or hobby! We definitely need as many youngsters as we can find to become eager gardeners and help us save our beleaguered planet. All the best for a great gardening year from all three of us – and Louise too, of course!