purslane

May. 31st, 2023 07:21 am
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[personal profile] prettygoodword
purslane (PURS-lain) - n., any of several mostly unrelated plants with edible leaves, esp. summer purslane (Portulaca oleracea), a succulent-leafed weed also eaten as a leaf vegetable; or other members of genus Portulaca; and other plants listed here.


TIL that purslane is a portulaca. Huh. Other portulacas than summer purslane are cultivated as flowering plants. That summer purslane is what we get in our yard and sometimes from the CSA:

the purslane I know (Portulaca oleracea)
Thanks, WikiMedia!

In use since the 14th century, from Anglo-French porsulaigne, from Old French porcelaine, from Late Latin porcillagin/porcillago, alteration of Latin porcillaca, itself an alteration of portulaca, diminutive of porta, gate from the gatelike covering of the seed capsule.

---L.

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