View source for Portulaca oleracea

{{Short description|Annual succulent in the family Portulacaceae}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Portulaca oleracea.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |last1=Diop |first1=F.N. |last2=Naas |first2=M. |year=2020 |title=''Portulaca oleracea'' |volume=2020 |article-number=e.T164001A65924501 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T164001A65924501.en |access-date=12 January 2025}}</ref>
| genus = Portulaca
| species = oleracea
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Varieties
| subdivision =
*''Portulaca oleracea'' var. ''delicatula'' {{small|Fosberg}}
*''Portulaca oleracea'' var. ''oleracea''
| subdivision_ref = <ref name=powo>{{cite web |title=''Portulaca oleracea'' L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:323270-2 |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref>
| synonyms = 
*''Portulaca hortensis'' {{small|Rupr. (1854), nom. superfl.}}
*''Portulaca officinarum'' {{small|Crantz (1766)}}
*''Portulaca oleracea'' var. ''sylvestris'' {{small|DC. (1828), not validly publ.}}
*''Portulaca oleracea'' subsp. ''sylvestris'' {{small|Čelak. (1875), not validly publ.}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo/>
}}

'''''Portulaca oleracea''''' ('''common purslane''', also known as '''little hogweed''', or '''pursley''')<ref name=ITIS>{{ITIS | id = 20422 | taxon = ''Portulaca oleracea'' | access-date = 23 June 2020}}</ref> is a [[succulent plant]] in the family [[Portulacaceae]].

== Description ==
[[File:Portulaca (23559906595).jpg|thumb|''P. oleracea'' flower]]
The plant may reach {{Convert|40|cm|abbr=off}} in height. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems, and the [[leaves]], which may be [[Alternate leaf|alternate]] or [[opposite leaf|opposite]], are clustered at stem joints and ends.<ref>{{Illinois Wildflowers|weeds/plants/purslane|Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea|access-date=2018-02-05}}</ref> The yellow [[flower]]s have five regular parts and are up to {{Convert|6|mm|abbr=off|frac=4}} wide. Depending upon rainfall, the flowers appear at any time during the year. The flowers open singly at the center of the leaf cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings. The tiny seeds<ref>Kilpatrick, Judy. "Germinating Portulaca Seeds." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinating-portulaca-seeds-39371.html. Accessed 13 November 2019.</ref> are formed in a pod that opens when the seeds mature. Purslane has a [[taproot]] with fibrous secondary roots and can tolerate poor soil and drought.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lyle |first=Katie Letcher |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them |publisher=[[FalconGuides]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59921-887-8 |edition=2nd |location=Guilford, CN |page=28 |oclc=560560606 |orig-date=2004}}</ref>

The fruits are many-seeded capsules. The seed set is considerable; large plants have been reported to produce up to 240,000 seeds.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tanaka |first=Osamu |title=Shokubutsu no fushigi 50: Kusamura, yama, hatake de mitsuketa shokubutsu no hinan |publisher=Chūōkōron Shinsha |year=2007 |page=114 |language=ja}}</ref> The seeds germinate optimally at a temperature above 25&nbsp;°C; they are light germinators, with even a soil cover of 5&nbsp;mm having a negative effect on [[germination]].

Although usually an [[annual plant]], it is a tropical [[perennial]] in [[United States Department of Agriculture]] growing [[Hardiness zone|zones]] 10–11).{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

=== Metabolism ===
''P. oleracea'' is one of the very few plants able to utilize both [[C4 carbon fixation|C4]] and [[crassulacean acid metabolism]] (CAM) [[photosynthesis]] pathways, long believed to be incompatible with each other despite biochemical similarities. ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' will switch from C4 to CAM pathways during drought, and there is [[transcription regulation]] and physiological evidence for C4-CAM hybrid photosynthesis during mild drought.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ferrari |first1=Renata C. |last2=Bittencourt |first2=Priscila P. |last3=Rodrigues |first3=Maria A. |last4=Moreno-Villena |first4=Jose J. |last5=Alves |first5=Frederico R. R. |last6=Gastaldi |first6=Vinícius D. |last7=Boxall |first7=Susanna F. |last8=Dever |first8=Louisa V. |last9=Demarco |first9=Diego |last10=Andrade |first10=Sónia C.S. |last11=Edwards |first11=Erika J. |year=2019 |title=C 4 and crassulacean acid metabolism within a single leaf: Deciphering key components behind a rare photosynthetic adaptation |journal=New Phytologist |volume=225 |issue=4 |pages=1699–1714 |doi=10.1111/nph.16265 |pmid=31610019 |doi-access=free |last12=Hartwell |first12=James |last13=Freschi |first13=Luciano}}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==
[[File:portulaca sativa 01.jpg|thumb|''[[Portulaca oleracea subsp. sativa|P. sativa]]'', a [[subspecies]]]]

''P. oleracea'' was recorded in 1753 by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in ''[[Species Plantarum]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |title=Species Plantarum |date=1753 |publisher=Laurentius Salvius |location=Sweden |author-link=Carl Linnaeus}} {{oclc|186272535}}</ref> Due to the great variability, a large number of [[subspecies]] and [[Variety (botany)|varieties]] have been described as species of their own, but according to other publications, they all fall within the range of variation of ''P.&nbsp;oleracea''. The synonyms ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' subsp. ''sativa'', ''P.&nbsp;sativa'', and ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' var. ''sativa'', which are more common in the literature, refer to a somewhat more robust form in cultivation with larger seeds that cannot be separated from the species. Approximately 40 [[cultivars]] of ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' are currently grown.<ref name="nytimes" />

The flowering plant more commonly known as winter purslane (''[[Claytonia perfoliata]]'') is a member of the [[Montiaceae]] family and is not closely related.

=== Etymology ===
The [[specific epithet]] ''oleracea'' means "vegetable/herbal" in Latin and is a form of {{wikt-lang|la|holeraceus}} ({{lang|la|oleraceus}}), from {{lang|la|holus}} 'vegetable'.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parker |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-tzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT328 |title=A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners |date=2018 |publisher=Little Brown Book Group |isbn=978-1-4087-0615-2 |page=328 |quote={{lang|la|oleraceus, holeraceus}} = relating to vegetables or kitchen garden}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Whitney |first=William Dwight |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGTWRtstsaEC&pg=PA2856 |title=The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia |publisher=Century Co. |year=1899 |page=2856 |quote={{abbr|L.|Latin}} {{lang|la|holeraceus}}, {{abbr|prop.|properly}} {{lang|la|oleraceus}}, herb-like, {{lang|la|holus}}, {{abbr|prop.|properly}} {{lang|la|olus}} ({{lang|la|oler-}}), herbs, vegetables}}</ref> The genus name {{lang|la|portulāca}} is simply the plant's name in Latin.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://logeion.uchicago.edu/portulaca|title=portulāca|dictionary=[[Lewis & Short]]'s Latin Dictionary}}</ref>

=== Similar species ===

Several species of ''Portulaca'' are cultivated as ornamentals, most notably ''Portulaca grandiflora'' (commonly known as moss rose or sun rose). Unlike ''P. oleracea'', which is a widespread edible weed, ''P. grandiflora'' is primarily grown for its brightly colored flowers and is less tolerant of disturbed soils.<ref>{{cite web |title=Portulaca grandiflora |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/60169/portulaca-grandiflora/details |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=2025-09-20}}</ref> 

In Japan, the name "Hana-suberihiyu" (花スベリヒユ, literally "flower purslane") is often used for these ornamental types, in order to distinguish them from the edible wild purslane.<ref>{{cite book |last=Facciola |first=Stephen |title=Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants |publisher=Kampong Publications |year=1998 |page=267}}</ref>

===Varieties===
Two varieties are accepted.<ref name = powo/>
*''Portulaca oleracea'' var. ''delicatula'' {{small|Fosberg}} – endemic to [[Aldabra]] in the [[Seychelles]]
*''Portulaca oleracea'' var. ''oleracea'' – native to full species range

== Distribution and habitat ==
Purslane has an extensive distribution, assumed to be mostly [[Human impact on the environment|anthropogenic]] (or [[hemerochory|hemerochoric]]),<ref>{{Go Botany |genus=Portulaca |species=oleracea |common=common purslane}}</ref> extending from [[North Africa]] and Southern Europe through the [[Middle East]] and the [[Indian subcontinent]] to [[Malesia]] and [[Australasia]]. The species status in the Americas is uncertain. In general, it is often considered an exotic weed, but there is evidence that the species was in [[Crawford Lake (Halton Region)|Crawford Lake]] deposits ([[Ontario]]) in 1350–1539, suggesting that it reached North America in the [[pre-Columbian era]]. Scientists suggested that the plant was already eaten by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]], who spread its seeds. How it reached the Americas is currently unknown.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Byrne, R.  |author2=McAndrews, J.H.  |name-list-style=amp | year = 1975 | title = Pre-Columbian puslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) in the New World | journal = Nature | volume = 253 | pages = 726–727 | doi = 10.1038/253726a0 | issue=5494 | url=https://labs.eeb.utoronto.ca/mcandrews/PDFs/Precolumbianpurslane_1975.pdf | access-date=25 November 2023|bibcode=1975Natur.253..726B |s2cid=4171339 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806090918/https://labs.eeb.utoronto.ca/mcandrews/PDFs/Precolumbianpurslane_1975.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-06 }}</ref>

==Ecology==
Compared to other common crops, ''P. oleracea'' is more tolerant of pests due to its waxy cover, which protects the plant from insects and diseases. In some instances, ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' is even known to have [[antifungal]] properties.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Banerjee|first1=G.|last2=Mukherjee|first2=A.|date=November 2002|title=Biological activity of a common weed - Portulaca oleracea L. II. Antifungal activity|journal=Acta Botanica Hungarica|volume=44|issue=3–4|pages=205–208|doi=10.1556/abot.44.2002.3-4.1|issn=0236-6495}}</ref> However some [[phytotoxic]] metabolites of ''[[Drechslera indica]]'', a fungus, can cause [[necrosis]] on purslane.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kenfield|first1=Doug|last2=Hallock|first2=Yali|last3=Clardy|first3=Jon|last4=Strobel|first4=Gary|date=January 1989|title=Curvulin and O-Methylcurvulinic acid: Phytotoxic metabolites of Drechslera indica which cause necroses on purslane and spiny amaranth|journal=Plant Science|volume=60|issue=1|pages=123–127|doi=10.1016/0168-9452(89)90052-6|bibcode=1989PlnSc..60..123K |issn=0168-9452}}</ref> ''[[Dichotomophthora portulacae]]'', another fungus, can cause [[stem rot]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mitchell|first=J. K.|date=1986|title=Dichotomophthora portulacaeCausing Black Stem Rot on Common Purslane in Texas|journal=Plant Disease|volume=70|issue=6|pages=603b|doi=10.1094/pd-70-603b|issn=0191-2917}}</ref> ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' is a known host plant of ''[[Hyles lineata]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/white-lined-sphinx|title=White-Lined Sphinx|publisher=Missouri Department of Conservation|access-date=10 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=CABI |year =2021 |title =Portulaca oleracea (purslane) | journal =CABI Compendium | doi = 10.1079/cabicompendium.43609 | doi-access =free }}</ref>

''[[Schizocerella pilicornis]]'' and ''[[Hypurus bertrandi]]'' are known to feed on ''Portulaca oleracea''. In some instances, they may help control the competitiveness of ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' to prevent weed infestation in fields where ''P.&nbsp;oleracea'' is not wanted, however, they do not stop it from growing completely.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=González|first1=D.|last2=Summers|first2=Charles|last3=Qualset|first3=Calvin|date=January 1992|title=Russian wheat aphid: natural enemies, resistant wheat offer potential control|journal=California Agriculture|volume=46|issue=1|pages=32–34|doi=10.3733/ca.v046n01p32|doi-broken-date=18 July 2025 |issn=0008-0845|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Uses==
{{nutritional value
| name = Purslane, raw
| water = 92.86 g
| kJ = 84
| protein = 2.03 g
| fat = 0.36 g
| carbs = 3.39 g
| calcium_mg = 65
| iron_mg = 1.99
| magnesium_mg = 68
| phosphorus_mg = 44
| potassium_mg = 494
| zinc_mg = 0.17
| manganese_mg = 0.303
| vitC_mg = 21
| vitE_mg = 12.2
| thiamin_mg = 0.047
| riboflavin_mg = 0.112
| niacin_mg = 0.48
| vitB6_mg = 0.073
| folate_ug = 12
| vitA_iu = 1320
| source_usda = 1
| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169274/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

=== Nutrition ===
Raw purslane is 93% water, 3% [[carbohydrate]]s, 2% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible [[fat]]. In a 100-gram reference amount, purslane supplies 20 [[calorie]]s, and rich amounts (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin&nbsp;E]] (81%&nbsp;DV) and [[vitamin&nbsp;C]] (25% DV), with moderate content (11–19% DV) of several [[dietary minerals]]. Purslane is source of [[alpha-linolenic acid]], an essential [[omega-3 fatty acid]].<ref name="Simopoulos">{{cite journal |author=A P Simopoulos |year=2013 |title=Common purslane: a source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants |journal=Journal of the American College of Nutrition |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=374–382 |doi=10.1080/07315724.1992.10718240 |pmid=1354675}}</ref>
Purslane leaves are very high in oxalates, containing high levels, with one study finding \(23.45\pm 0.45\) g total oxalates per kg of fresh weight (or 23450 mg/kg). Another source reports \(671-869\) mg/100g fresh weight.

=== Culinary ===
[[File:Glistrida Greek salad.JPG|thumb|[[Greek salad]] with purslane]]

All parts of purslane are edible raw or cooked. The seeds can be eaten raw or used to make flour.<ref>{{Cite book |title= The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher= [[Skyhorse Publishing]] |others= [[United States Department of the Army]] |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-1-60239-692-0 |location= New York |page= 82 |language= en-US |oclc= 277203364}}</ref>

The plant may be eaten as a [[leaf vegetable]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= Wright |first= Clifford A. |date= 2012 |chapter= Purslane |title= Mediterranean Vegetables: A Cook's Compendium of All the Vegetables from the World's Healthiest Cuisine, with More Than 200 Recipes |location= Boston |publisher= Harvard Common Press |pages= 276–277 |isbn= 978-1-55832-775-7}}</ref> [[William Cobbett]] noted that it was "eaten by Frenchmen and pigs when they can get nothing else. Both use it in salad, that is to say, raw".<ref>{{cite book |last= Cobbett |first= William |author-link= William Cobbett |title= The English Gardener |date= 1980 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford |isbn= 0-19-281292-0 |page= 126}}</ref> It has a slightly sour and salty taste and is eaten throughout much of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Mexico.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |last= Spieler |first= Marlena |date= July 5, 2006 |title= Something Tasty? Just Look Down |work= The New York Times |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E3DB1230F936A35754C0A9609C8B63}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7461.html Pests in Landscapes and Gardens: Common Purslane. ''Pest Notes University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 7461''. October 2003]</ref> The stems, leaves, and flower buds are all edible raw or cooked.<ref>{{Cite book |last= Nyerges |first= Christopher |date= 2017 |title= Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods |publisher= Falcon Guides |isbn= 978-1-4930-2534-3 |location= Guilford, Connecticut |oclc= 965922681}}</ref> Purslane may be used fresh as a [[salad]],<ref>{{cite web |last1= Meus |first1= Jeroen |date= 2021 |title= Salade met gelakte hondshaai en gebrande asperges |url= https://dagelijksekost.vrt.be/gerechten/salade-met-gelakte-hondshaai-en-gebrande-asperges |access-date= 22 May 2021 |publisher= Dagelijkse Kost |language= Dutch}}</ref> [[stir-frying|stir-fried]], or cooked as [[spinach]] is, and because of its [[mucilaginous]] quality it also is suitable for [[soup]]s and [[stew]]s. The sour taste is due to [[oxalic acid|oxalic]] and [[malic acid]], the latter of which is produced through the CAM pathway that is seen in many [[xerophyte]]s (plants living in dry conditions) and is at its highest when the plant is harvested in the early morning.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/onfoodcookingsci0000mcge_e4f3 Harold McGee. ''On Food and Cooking''. Scribner. 2004 edition]. {{ISBN|978-0684800011}}</ref>

[[Aboriginal Australians]] use the seeds of purslane to make [[seedcakes]]. Greeks, who call it {{transliteration|el|andrákla}} ({{wikt-lang|el|αντράκλα}}) or {{transliteration|el|glistrída}} ({{wikt-lang|el|γλιστρίδα}}), use the leaves and the stems with [[feta]] cheese, [[tomato]], [[onion]], [[garlic]], [[oregano]], and [[olive oil]]. They add it to salads, boil it, or add it to casseroled chicken. In [[Turkey]], besides being used in salads and baked pastries, it is cooked as a vegetable similar to spinach or is mixed with [[yogurt]] to form a [[tzatziki]] variant.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.nefisyemektarifleri.com/semizotlu-kuru-cacik/ |title= Semizotlu Cacık – Hilal'in Mutfağı |date= 2016-05-28 |work= Nefis Yemek Tarifleri |access-date= 2017-08-07 |language= tr-TR}}</ref> In [[Sudan]], the vegetable is known as {{transliteration|ar|regla}} ({{lang|ar|رجلة}}) it is also cooked as a vegetable stew, similar to how spinach and [[malva]] ({{lang|ar|خبيزة}}) are cooked, but not fresh in salads.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
In Kurdistan, people commonly make a kind of soup from it called palpina soup ({{lang|ar|شۆربای پەڵپینە}}). In the [[Alentejo]] region of [[Portugal]], purslane is used for cooking a traditional soup ({{lang|pt|sopa de beldroegas}}) which is topped with soaked bread, poached eggs, and/or goat's cheese.<ref>{{cite web |title= Sopa de Beldroegas |url= https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/pt/cat/sopa/991-sopa-de-beldroegas |website= Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses |access-date= 5 July 2021 |language= pt}}</ref> In Mexico and the American Southwest, the plant is consumed as {{lang|es|verdolagas}}.

=== Soil salinity ===
[[Soil salinity|Salination]] of agricultural soils decreases the yields of many crops, and salt-sensitive species can no longer be cultivated on such soils. Purslane has a high tolerance for salt, making it suitable for cropping in areas where irrigation is carried out with water with high chloride-based salinity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1= Teixeira |first1= M. |last2= Carvalho |first2= I. S. |date= 2008-09-12 |title= Effects of salt stress on purslane (Portulaca oleracea) nutrition |journal= Annals of Applied Biology |volume= 154 |issue= 1 |pages= 77–86 |doi= 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2008.00272.x |issn= 0003-4746 |doi-access= free}}</ref>

Purslane can remove salt from the cultivation medium under saline conditions. As an intercrop or during one growing season, it can remove {{val|210|u=kg/ha}} of chloride and {{val|65|u=kg/ha}} of sodium when cultivated at {{val|6.5|u=dS|up=m}}, allowing growth of salt-sensitive plants on saline soils.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1= Kiliç |first1= Cenk Ceyhun |last2= Kukul |first2= Yasemin S. |last3= Anaç |first3= Dilek |date= 2008 |title= Performance of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) as a salt-removing crop |journal= Agricultural Water Management |volume= 95 |issue= 7 |pages= 854–858 |doi= 10.1016/j.agwat.2008.01.019 |bibcode= 2008AgWM...95..854K |issn= 0378-3774 }}</ref> In salty conditions, purslane has a positive effect on [[Companion planting|companion plants]] such as tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1= Graifenberg |first1= A. |last2= Botrini |first2= L. |last3= Giustiniani |first3= L. |last4= Filippi |first4= F. |last5= Curadi |first5= M. |date= 2003 |title= Tomato growing in saline conditions with biodesalinating plants: ''Salsola soda'' L. and ''Portulaca oleracea'' L. |journal= Acta Horticulturae |issue= 609 |pages= 301–305 |doi= 10.17660/actahortic.2003.609.45 |issn= 0567-7572 }}</ref>

==Culture==
Archaeobotanical finds are common at many Mediterranean [[prehistoric]] sites. In [[historic]] contexts, seeds have been retrieved from a [[protogeometric]] layer in [[Kastanas]], as well as from the [[Heraion of Samos|Samian Heraion]] dating to the 7th century&nbsp;BC. In the 4th century&nbsp;BC, [[Theophrastus]] names purslane, {{transliteration|grc|andrákhne}} ({{lang|grc|ἀνδράχνη}}), as one of the several summer pot herbs that must be sown in April (''Enquiry into Plants'' 7.1.2).<ref name="Fragiska">{{cite journal |author=Megaloudi Fragiska |year=2005 |title=Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity |journal=Environmental Archaeology |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=73–82 |doi=10.1179/146141005790083858}}</ref> As ''Portulaca'' it figures in the long list of comestibles enjoyed by the Milanese given by [[Bonvesin de la Riva]] in his "Marvels of Milan" (1288).<ref>Noted by John Dickie, ''Delizia! The Epic History of Italians and Their Food'' (New York, 2008), p. 37.</ref>

In antiquity, its healing properties were thought so reliable that [[Pliny the Elder]] advised wearing the plant as an amulet to expel all evil (''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'' 20.210).<ref name="Fragiska" />

The plant is mentioned in [[Rabbinic literature]] variably as ''rgila'' ({{langx|he|רְגִילָה}}),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mishnah Sheviit 7:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sheviit.7.1?lang=en |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> ''ḥalaglogit'' ({{langx|he|חֲלַגְלוֹגִית|link=no}}),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mishnah Sheviit 9:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sheviit.9.1?lang=en |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> and ''parpaḥonya'' ({{langx|jpa|פַּרְפָּחוֹנַיָּא}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerusalem Talmud Sheviit 9:1:2 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sheviit.9.1.2?lang=en |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> The [[Talmud|Babylonian Talmud]] recounts that [[Chazal|sages]] were initially unfamiliar with the term ''ḥaloglogot''. However, they realised it was the same as ''parpaḥonya'' after witnessing Rabbi [[Judah ha-Nasi]]'s maidservant reprimand a man who was scattering the plant while using this term.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rosh Hashanah 26b:3 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Rosh_Hashanah.26b.3?lang=en |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> The plant is also mentioned in a ''[[piyyut]]'' by [[Eleazar ben Kalir]], by [[Maimonides]], and by [[Tanhum of Jerusalem]]. Tanhum states that the plant is known to medics as "the fast vegetable" due to its quick spreading and branching.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amar |first=Zohar |title=Agricultural Produce in the Land of Israel in the Middle Ages |publisher=Yad Izhak Ben Zvi |location=Jerusalem |page=295 |language=he}}</ref>

''Verdolaga'', the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word for purslane, is a nickname for South American football clubs with green-white schemes in their uniforms, including Colombia's [[Atletico Nacional]] and Argentina's [[Ferrocarril Oeste]].{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} [[Afro-Colombian]] singer [[Totó la Momposina]] sings a song entitled "La Verdolaga."

==See also==
*[[List of beneficial weeds]]
*[[List of companion plants]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Portulaca oleracea}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110302082841/http://www.alocasia.com.au/qld_saltmarsh_plants/herbarium/succulent/pigweed Online Field guide to Common Saltmarsh Plants of Queensland]

{{WestAfricanPlants|Portulaca oleracea}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q158015}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Portulaca|oleracea]]
[[Category:Bushfood]]
[[Category:Caryophyllales of Australia]]
[[Category:Flora of Brazil]]
[[Category:Flora of India (region)]]
[[Category:Flora of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Flora of Queensland]]
[[Category:Flora of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Flora of the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Forages]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Flora of Malta]]
[[Category:Flora of the Coral Sea Islands Territory]]