What is Purslane

Purslane is also called longevity vegetable. Hearing this nickname, you can definitely know how great the nutritional value of purslane is. But some people may also ask what purslane is ? Now we will introduce purslane to you in detail.

Introduction of Purslane

Basics

Purslane, scientific name Portulaca oleracea L., is an annual fleshy herb belonging to the family Portulacaceae. Other names: five-element grass, longevity vegetable, longevity vegetable, drought-resistant vegetable, melon seed vegetable, sour amaranth, ground horse vegetable, purslane vegetable, sauce board vegetable, pig's head.

Purslane, also known as longevity vegetable, melon seed vegetable, and five-element grass, is an annual fleshy herb in the Portulacaceae family. The plant is prostrate, with many branches, and the stems and leaves are fleshy and juicy. The leaves are small, alternate, obovate, entire, thick and soft. The flowers are light yellow, usually 3-5 clusters in the axils of the branches, sessile, and bloom at noon. It blooms from June to August and bears fruit from July to October. The seeds are kidney-shaped and ovate, black.

Cultivation technology of purslane

Other knowledge

Annual herb, the whole plant is glabrous. Stems are prostrate or oblique, spreading on the ground, many branches, cylindrical, 10-15 cm long, light green or dark red. Leaves are alternate, sometimes nearly opposite, flat, thick, obovate, horse-tooth-like, 1-3 cm long, 0.6-1.5 cm wide, obtuse or truncate at the top, sometimes slightly concave, cuneate at the base, entire, dark green above, light green or dark red below, with slightly raised midrib; petiole is short and thick. The flowers are sessile, 4-5 mm in diameter, often clustered in 3-5 at the ends of branches, blooming at noon; the bracts are 2-6, leaf-like, membranous, and nearly whorled; the sepals are 2, opposite, green, helmet-shaped, flattened to the left and right, about 4 mm long, with an acute apex, a keel-like protrusion on the back, and fused at the base; the petals are 5, rarely 4, yellow, obovate, 3-5 mm long, slightly concave at the apex, and fused at the base; the stamens are usually 8 or more, about 12 mm long, and the anthers are yellow; the ovary is glabrous, the style is slightly longer than the stamens, and the stigma is 4-6 lobed and linear. The capsule is ovoid, about 5 mm long, and the lid is cracked; the seeds are small, numerous, obliquely spherical, dark brown, shiny, less than 1 mm in diameter, and have small warty protrusions. Flowering period is May-August, and the fruiting period is June-September.

Purslane Effects and Indications

It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, stopping bleeding and relieving stranguria.

Eating more purslane can prevent Alzheimer's disease