Portulacaceae, the purslane family.
Description:
Plant:
Prostrate, branched, creeping plant with reddish stems, fleshy leaves, and small, yellow
flowers that open only for a few hours in the sunshine. Annual.
Flowers:
Yellow, about 1/4", with five notched petals, two sepals, and eight or more stamens.
Solitary in leaf axils, or sometimes in small clusters.
Leaves:
Alternate, sometimes opposite, fleshy-succulent, 1/2"-3/2", obovate with rounded tips and
short petiols.
Fruit:
A small, rounded capsule.
Blooming:
June-Frost
Habitat:
Open, cultivated and waste areas
Comments:
Well known as a garden weed, most purslane in North America is probably introduced stock
from Eurasia, but there is some evidence that the plant predates European colonization
in a few areas.
The plant leaves and stems are edible as a potherb and salad green, and it is sometimes
cultivated for this purpose.
The yellow flowers open in the sunshine for only a few hours.
Where to find it:
Growing as an occasional weed around the lodge gardens.