Miner’s Lettuce
How To ID Me And What I’m Good For?
My ID Features:
Flowers
Forming leaves, before the flower appears
Leaf & flower
Basal leaves
Miner’s Lettuce
Latin Name - Claytonia Perfoliata
Common Names - Miner's lettuce, Indian Lettuce, Winter Purslane, Spring Beauty, Springbeauty.
Family - Montiaceae.
Season - Spring & Summer.
Edible bits - The Whole Plant (except the roots).
Habitat - Common on disturbed ground & sandy soils. Sometimes in arable fields, gardens, forests and verges. For us, it’s always been a coast hugger.
Possible Confusion - Pretty hard to confuse with anything else. Related to Pink Purslane [Claytonia Sibirica], but not visually the same. Perhaps, Navelwort [Umbilicus rupestris], this is also a wonderful edible.
Description - This isn’t a plant we come across too often in Dorset, atleast, at our foraging spots. A North American species now naturalised in the UK. It has a sporadic distribution throughout the British Isles. It’s a great substitute for shop bought salad leaf, with its moderately succulent leaf and mild flavour. Somewhat reminiscent of spinach. Some say it’s the best foraged leaf of all!
It’s called Miners Lettuce because during the gold rush in California, miners would eat it for vitamin C to help battle Scurvy. A problem amongst many in past times (though still a problem for some). You’d be surprised at how many wild plants were consumed for this very reason!
It does contain Oxalates which are an antinutrient id consumed excesively. Many of our diets contain these Oxalates in the form of spinach, leafy greens and so much more. I doubt one would consume enough Miner’s Lettuce for it to affect oneself negatively.
You can read more about this here.
Physical Characteristics - Miner’s Lettuce is a tender rosette forming plant that grows up to 30cm in height. The leaves are arrow shaped during its basal form with a long stem (petiole). As the plant matures a white (sometimes pink) 5 petalled flower sits on top of what seems like a ‘disc’ of leaf. The leaf itself, that sits below the flower, isn’t one leaf at all. But, a fusion of two leaves together which appear as a single circular leaf. These leaves are referred to as perfoliate (why its named as such) as they encase the stem of the plant. You are most likely to find this plant growing close to the sea, due to its sand loving nature.
Medicinal Qualities - Miner’s lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A. And also contains iron, beta-carotene, and protein.
Harvesting Sustainability - Only take what you need. Using scissors, be careful of not uprooting this plant. It has very shallow roots.
Saftey Note - Be careful to pick away from human or animal contaminants.
Never munch on a hunch! Volf takes no responsibility for anything consumed.