30 June, 2008

Is It...Purslane? Weed Identification Needed

After having the yew shrubs in front dug up by others through Craigslist, and having worked to regrade the slope alongside the foundation where they were, I shifted my attention to a few indoor projects. It was only for a minute, I swear, but when I looked again the entire area was knee deep in weeds. Much of it is mint that has gone wild, so that's okay (for now). I've been enjoying mint juleps all week. But it's a little crazy out there, so I've started to weed and cover the area with lawn fabric to prep it for flower beds next year.

There is one plant that seems as invasive as the mint; there is TONS of it growing all over the place. I suspect, like the mint, it was once planted on purpose. But now it's EVERYWHERE. I tried to ID it myself, and am guessing that it might be purslane, a.k.a. pigweed. It kind of looks like a jade plant and grows flat along the ground. What do you real gardeners think? Am I right?



4 comments:

Rae said...

Yup, that does indeed look like purslane.

Do the leaves have teeth?
Does the plant release a milky white liquid from any of its parts?

If the answer is no to both questions, I'd stake a bet on this plant being purslane and, therefore, edible.

Lucky you!

(PS: Please send a virtual mint julep this way. *G*)

Joanne said...

Raven--I knew you would probably have the answer! I ended up adding some to last night's salad; it added a delicious, slightly peppery crunch.

Rae said...

Oh, boy. You 'know' me well enough now to suspect that I know a thing or two about wild plants?! LOL

Let's just say that wild plants are the reason I didn't get scurvy in college.

Dang, now I need to go find me some purslane for my next salad!

Joanne said...

Ah! It was your past comment about clover being tasty and how you've made dandelion root coffee. I figured you knew more about edible landscapes than the average person out there. :-)