EMILY de CAMP HERBARIUM

COMMON NAME: Common Purslane
OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Pig Pursley, Purslane
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Portulaca oleracea
FAMILY: Portulacaceae
COMMUNITY: Edge
STATUS: Native
LIFESPAN:
HEIGHT: Prostrate
FLOWERTING TIME: Late June to late September
FRUITING TIME: Late July to late September
DISTRIBUTION: Statewide in NJ

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
Prostrate, smooth ~ Stems are reddish with leaves alternate, entire, spatula-shaped, with clusters at the ends of the branches

~Flowers are in the leaf clusters, small, yellow and appear only a few hours in the morning.

GENERAL INFORMATION: The family name, Portulacaeae, may come from the Latin “porto” and “lac” which means “milk-carrier” because of the juicy leaves and stems that typify this family. Others believe that the family name comes from “portula”, a little gate, because of the gate-like cover to the seed capsules.

In Chinese medicine, the fresh whole-plant poultice is applied for hemorrhoids, reddish inflammation of the skin, boils, and skin ulcers, snake and insect bites. A decoction (medicine prepared by boiling thick parts of a plant) is taken internally for dysentery and urinary tract infections.

Native Americans prepared a poultice (soft, moist mass of plant parts wrapped and applied to the skin) to treat bruises and burns.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails. This information is presented for educational purposes only.ark. New Jersey, 08752.