Lythrum portula
Water Purslane
No photo available
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Lythraceae
- Genus
- Lythrum
- Life cycle
- annual
- Height
- 0.2 m
- Spread
- 0.3 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Edible uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[4][1][3].
- Plant part
- Leaves
Environment
- Range
- Europe, incl Britain, mainly central and northern areas but not the Arctic, east to the Caucasus.
- Habitat
- Muddy margins of pools and puddles, but not in calcareous soils[2].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- aquatic
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow spring or early autumn in situ.
Cultivation
Requires a wet soil. Dislikes alkaline soils[2]. This species was formerly cultivated for its edible leaves[4]. A prostrate plant, the stem rooting as it creeps along the ground[2].
References
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6