Miner’s Lettuce
Claytonia perfoliata Don ex Willd. (Montia perfoliata [Don ex Willd.] Howell)
overview
Somewhat succulent annual or short-lived perennial herb with a slender taproot. Several flowering stems, ascending to erect, leafy, 5-30 cm tall. Numerous basal leaves, narrowly spoon-shaped to lance- or egg-shaped, long-stalked, 2-10 cm long. Two stem leaves, opposite and usually fused, forming a disk around the stem above mid-length. Flowers white or pinkish, stalked, nodding; two sepals; five petals 3-7 mm long; several to many flower clusters 1-8 cm long above the leaf disc (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994). Photo by Moralea Milne.
other names
spring beauty, winter purslane
family
Portulacaceae
ecological setting
Moist (at least in spring), open to shady, often sandy, forests, thickets, meadows. Common at low to medium elevations (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994). Southern B.C. east to Alberta and south through the Rocky Mountain and Pacific states to California (Young, 2001).
soil texture
Grows on a variety of substrates including sand, riverine silts, gravel, rock crevices, talus and scree; also found on burned sites (USDA, Forest Service Fire Effects Information System).
moisture regime
Dry to fresh (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).
shade tolerance
Shade tolerant on drier sites, moderately shade intolerant on moist sites (USDA, Forest Service Fire Effects Information System).
successional status
Facultative seral species. Occurs at all seral stages, often colonizing disturbed sites after fire (USDA, Forest Service Fire Effects Information System).
wildlife
Plants grazed by small mammals. Seeds eaten by birds. (USDA, Forest Service Fire Effects Information System).
landscaping
Garden ground cover.
other uses
Blossoms, leaves and stems are edible greens in the spring. Source of Vitamin C (USDA, Forest Service Fire Effects Information System).
flowering time
April to June
fruit ripening time
33 to 90 days
seed collection time
May to August
crop intervals
Annual
collection and abstraction
Collect seeds when mature fruits begin to split at maturity. Rub seed pods on screens to extract and to separate seeds from pods and chaff (Young, 2001).
seed storage
Store seeds dry at room temperature (Young, 2001).
fruit seed dormancy treatment
No pre-planting treatments are required. Direct seed into containers 5-7.5 cm apart in fall or early spring (Young, 2001).