Leaf

Didier Descouens, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Common purslane

Portulaca oleracea L.

Also known as: Purslane

Family: Portulacaceae

10 to 30 cm (prostrate habit)

Gardens, crops, sandy and dry soils

Flowering: June – September

Full sun

Not very hardy, to -5°C only

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Fleshy foliage like a small succulent — the plant stores water to withstand drought.

🍃 Leaves

Small, fleshy, ovate, glossy, clustered at the ends of the stems

🌸 Flowers

Tiny, yellow, opening only in the sun

🍎 Fruits

Small capsule opening by a lid

🪵 Bark

Fleshy reddish stems, spreading along the ground

🗺️ Distribution

Probably native to Asia, now cosmopolitan; common in France in gardens and summer crops

🐝 Value for pollinators

Small yellow flowers visited by small foraging insects

✂️ Horticultural uses

Grown in the vegetable garden as a leaf vegetable, sometimes tolerated as a summer ground cover

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity; edible leaves rich in omega-3

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

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