Claytonia perfoliata

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Claytonia perfoliata
C. perfoliata subsp. perfoliata growing wild in Anacortes, Washington
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Claytonia
Species:
C. perfoliata
Binomial name
Claytonia perfoliata
Willd.
Synonyms[1]
  • Claytonia cubensis Bonpl.
  • Claytonia spathulata Douglas nom. illeg.
  • Limnia angustifolia (Greene) Rydb.
  • Limnia carnosa (Greene) A. Heller ex Rydb.
  • Limnia mexicana Rydb.
  • Limnia perfoliata (Donn ex Willd.) Haw.
  • Limnia spathulata (Douglas ex Hook.) A. Heller
  • Montia mexicana (Rydb.) Pax & K. Hoffm.
  • Montia perfoliata (Donn ex Willd.) Howell
  • Montia spathulata (Douglas ex Hook.) Howell

Claytonia perfoliata, commonly known as miner's lettuce, rooreh, Indian lettuce, or winter purslane, is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. It is an edible, fleshy, herbaceous, annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America.

Description

Claytonia perfoliata is a tender

true leaves form a rosette at the base of the plant, and are 0.5 to 4 cm (1⁄4 to 1+5⁄8 in) long, with a typically long petiole
(exceptionally up to 20 cm or 8 in long).

The small pink or white

petals
2 to 6 millimetres (1⁄16 to 1⁄4 in) long. The flowers appear from February to May or June and are grouped 5–40 together. The flowers grow above a pair of leaves that are connected together around the stem so as to appear as a single circular leaf. Mature plants form a rosette; they have numerous erect to spreading stems that branch from the base.

C. perfoliata is common in the springtime, and prefers a cool, damp environment. The plant first appears in sunlit areas after the first heavy rains of the year, though the best stands are found in shaded areas, especially in the uplands, into early summer. As the days get hotter and drier, the leaves turn a deep red color as they dry out.

  • The basal leaves are petiolate and cordate.
    The
    cordate
    .
  • The cauline leaves are perfoliate.
    The
    perfoliate
    .
  • Close-up of flower
    Close-up of flower

Taxonomy

Together with two other

studies on the population ecology and genetics of the C. perfoliata complex were published in 2012.[3][5]

Subspecies

There are three well-studied geographical subspecies of C. perfoliata:[4]

Other names

C. perfoliata is called 'piyada̠' in the Western Mono language and 'palsingat' in Ivilyuat — two Native American languages of California[6] or 'rooreh' in (Ohlone language)[7]

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to Mexico and western north America as far north as British Columbia.[8]

It has been introduced into and is widely

naturalist Archibald Menzies, who brought it to Kew Gardens in London in 1794.[9][10] It was first recorded in the wild in Britain in South Hampshire in 1849 and is still spreading.[11] As of 2019 sightings of this plant have been found as far inland as Arkansas.[12]

Uses

Miner's lettuce served as a salad

The

boiled like spinach, which it resembles in taste and chemical composition. Caution should be used because wild C. perfoliata can sometimes accumulate toxic amounts of sodium oxalate (as can happen in spinach).[18]

The plant is known as palsingat or, possibly, lahchumeek in Ivilyuat and it was eaten fresh or boiled as a green by the Ivilyuqaletem (Cahuilla) people of Southern California. It, along with Claytonia exigua, is available for gathering in the early spring.[19]

References

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A working list of all plant species". Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Missouri Botanic Garden. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  2. ^ Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York:
    OCLC 244766414
    .
  3. ^ a b McIntyre, P. J. 2012. Cytogeography and genome size variation in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) polyploid complex. Annals of Botany (Oxford) 110(6): 1195-203
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-912861-78-9
  5. ^ McIntyre, P. J. 2012. Polyploidy associated with altered and broader ecological niches in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) species complex. American Journal of Botany 99(4): 655-62.
  6. ^ "A Dictionary of Western Mono: Second Edition"
  7. ^ "rooreh", Wiktionary, 2020-09-06, retrieved 2023-04-28
  8. ^ a b "Claytonia perfoliata Donn. ex Willd". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  9. ^ Hank Shaw (March 7, 2011). "Foraging for Miner's Lettuce, America's Gift to Salad". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  10. ^ Archibald Menzies (1923). Menzies' Journal of Vancouver's Voyage, April to October, 1792 [extract]. W. H. Cullin Printers. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  11. ^ P.A. Stroh; T. A. Humphrey; R.J. Burkmar; O.L. Pescott; D.B. Roy; K.J. Walker (eds.). "Claytonia perfoliata Donn ex Willd". BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  12. S2CID 244520656
    .
  13. ISBN 9781466585942
    .
  14. ISBN 9780598280268
    .
  15. ^ Rev. William Taylor's account of using miner's lettuce to treat scurvy: Taylor, William (1860). California Life Illustrated. New York, New York, USA: Carlton & Porter. pp. 230–231.
  16. ^ Lyons, C. P. (1956). Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in Washington (1st ed.). Canada: J. M. Dent & Sons. p. 106.
  17. ISBN 978-1-4930-1499-6
    .
  18. ^ "Miner's Lettuce". UC IPM Online. UC Davis.
  19. ISBN 978-0939046249
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claytonia perfoliata.
Wikispecies has information related to Claytonia perfoliata.
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