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Claytonia sibirica - L.

Pink Purslane

Author	L.	Botanical references	17, 50, 270
Family	Portulacaceae	Genus	Claytonia
Synonyms	Claytonia alsinoides - Sims. Montia sibirica - (L.)Howell.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - Siberia. Western N. America - Alaska to California. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat	Damp woods, shaded streamsides etc, especially on sandy acid soils[17, 50]. Thickets of red alder, dogwood, vine-leaf maple, moist shaded coniferous forests from sea level to 2000 metres[270].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Annual/Perennial growing to 0.15m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade; Ground Cover;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 62, 183]. They usually have a fairly bland flavour and are quite nice in a salad or cooked as a green vegetable. The leaves have a distinct earthy after-taste rather like raw beetroot[K]. They are available all year round but can turn rather bitter in the summer, especially if the plant is growing in a hot dry position[K]. Although on the small side, the leaves are produced in abundance and are very easily harvested[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antidandruff; Diuretic; Ophthalmic; Poultice.

The plant is diuretic[257]. A poultice of the chewed leaves has been applied to cuts and sores[257]. The juice of the plant has been used as eye drops for sore red eyes[257]. A cold infusion of the stems has been used as an antidandruff wash for the hair[257].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A good ground cover plant for a shady position[208]. This species is a short-lived perennial but it usually self-sows freely and gives a dense weed-excluding ground cover[K].

Cultivation details

A very tolerant and easily grown plant, it prefers a moist peaty soil[1] and is unhappy in dry situations[K]. It succeeds in full sun[200] though is happier when given some shade and also grows in the dense shade of beech trees[88]. Plants usually self-sow freely[200, K]. This is an excellent and trouble-free salad plant. It is extremely cold-hardy and can provide edible leaves all year round in all areas of the country even if it is not given protection[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ. The seed usually germinates rapidly.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Woodland Edge Garden.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[88] RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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