Foraging wild edible plants and mushrooms brings many joys. These include time outdoors, exercise, the thrill of the hunt, and the discovery of new (to you) wild edible plants. As is always the case caution is very important when working with unfamiliar wild edible plants or mushrooms. On a recent Urban stealth camp I came across a plant that at first glance appeared to be purslane. However after carefully reviewing the plants features I noticed that although the general appearance and stem resembled Purslane the leaves did not.
Perplexed I took photos of the leaves, stems, and area that it was in and submitted it to a plant identification forum for ID. There were several opinions on the identity of the plant but after reading through several I came across one persons recommendation of Lythrum portula. An internet search revealed many pictures of this species to compare. Several sites offered descriptions of it’s appearance and habitat. After considering the information from several resources I was able to confirm it’s identity.
Lythrum portula is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family known by the common names water-purslane and spatulaleaf loosestrife. This wile edible plant is native to Europe, and it is found in parts of western North America as an introduced species. It is often found in moist habitat, such as marshes. Both the leaves and stems are edible either fresh or cooked.
When introducing new wild edible plants or mushrooms to your diet it is important to try a small amount first to ensure safety. Considering that I would be staying the night I decided not to harvest this one that day. However I will be returning to bring home a batch and experiment with it soon as purslane and Sea Purslane are in my list of favorite edible plants. . That is the best part of foraging wild foods, trying fun new dishes with them.
To see the upcoming video on this stealth camp and others please subscribe to our you tube channel.
I so enjoy your foraging!!
Glad to hear it, so am I 🙂