Purslane

Purslane (Portulaca), a genus of plants of the natural order Portulacæe, having a bifid calyx, four or six petals, eight or sixteen stamens, and a capsule dividing around the middle. Common Purslane (P. oleracea) grows in cultivated and waste grounds on the seashore in almost all tropical and subtropical parts of the world. It is cultivated as a pot-herb. It is a short-lived annual, with spreading and rather procumbent stems, and obovate fleshy leaves, which, as well as the young shoots, are frequently used in salads. The young and tender shoots are pickled in France like gherkins. Purslane is not so common in British gardens as it once was. Some species of Portulaca, such as P. grandiflora, of which there are several brilliant varieties, and P. gilliesii, are choice half-hardy annuals occasionally cultivated in British gardens. They are reared in hotbeds in spring and planted out in the flower-garden in the end of May, or they are grown in pots exclusively for the purpose of decorating the greenhouse.