Purslane (Portulaca oleracea). A humble but valuable succulent (ENG - SPN)

Greetings on this beautiful Sunday, especially to the members of this nice Succulent Growers community run by @nikv. This is the first time I have shared a post here, and I hope everyone likes it.

Saludos en este bonito domingo, especialmente a los miembros de esta agradable comunidad Succulent Growers a cargo de @nikv. Esta es la primera vez que comparto aquí una publicación, y espero que ésta sea del agrado de todos.

To be frank, I don't have many succulents, maybe four, specifically quelites, however, in my youth I used to collect cacti, although after a move I gave them all away, since I couldn't take them with me. About three weeks ago, on one of my outings to the lot, I was able to observe a small purslane plant (Portulaca oleracea) growing on the side of the road. It seemed strange to me, since the plants that I had long ago were literally exterminated by the land turtles that inhabit this space; Even so, I could see it, small, solitary, and I decided to transplant it into some pots, so I picked it up and divided and separated a twig from it.

Para ser franca, no tengo muchas suculentas, quizás cuatro, específicamente quelites, sin embargo, en mi juventud solía coleccionar cactus, aunque luego de una mudanza los regalé todos, ya que no podía llevarlos conmigo. Hace unas tres semanas, en una de mis salidas al solar, pude observar una pequeña plantita de verdolaga (Portulaca oleracea), que crecía a un lado del camino. Me pareció extraño, ya que las plantas que tuve tiempo atrás, fueron literalmente exterminadas por las tortugas de tierra que habitan este espacio; aun así, la pude ver, pequeñita, solitaria, y decidí trasplantarla a unas macetas, así que la recogí y dividí y separé una ramita de ella.

This plant is very common in my country, Venezuela, and I think also in many other tropical countries. It is generally used to cover areas of poor soil, because it is a resistant plant, which has few edaphic requirements. It is also used as food for land turtles (morrocoyes), which are common pets in my culture. It also has medicinal uses, since within traditional medicine, it is considered ideal for oxygenating the brain. I remember that one of my aunts made a green juice with it, however, it is a plant that must be consumed with great care, because it can damage the kidneys since, like quelites, it contains high levels of oxalic acid, which can be eliminated in much of it by cooking.

Esta planta es muy común en mi país, Venezuela, y creo que también en muchos otros países tropicales. Generalmente se utiliza para cubrir áreas de suelo pobre, porque es una planta resistente, que tiene pocos requerimientos edáficos. También se emplea como alimento para las tortugas de tierra (morrocoyes), las cuales son mascotas habituales en mi cultura. Igualmente tiene usos medicinales, pues dentro de la medicina tradicional, se considera ideal para oxigenar el cerebro. Recuerdo que una de mis tías hacía un jugo verde con ella, no obstante, es una planta que debe consumirse con mucho cuidado, porque puede dañar los riñones ya que, como los quelites, contiene elevados niveles de ácido oxálico, el cual puede eliminarse en gran parte mediante cocción.

This specimen that I share with you emerged from a small twig of just 8 centimeters. I planted it in this pot, and three days later I placed it in the sun. In three weeks it has grown, and even flowered, and although its flowers are small and shy, they are pretty. My intention is for it to continue strengthening and expanding, so I can use it in my salads, and occasionally in a green smoothie. It is also a way of offering different food sources to the small hives of meliponas that are in the internal garden, although I do not believe that this is a honey plant par excellence.

Este ejemplar que les comparto, surgió a partir de una pequeña ramita de escasos 8 centímetros. La sembré en esta maceta, y a los tres días la coloqué al sol. En tres semanas ha crecido, e incluso ha florecido, y aunque sus flores son pequeñas y tímidas, son bonitas. Mi intención es que siga fortaleciéndose y expandiéndose, para poder usarla en mis ensaladas, y ocasionalmente en algún batido verde. También es una forma de ofrecer diferentes fuentes de alimento a las pequeñas colmenas de meliponas que están en el jardín interno, aunque no creo que esta sea una planta melífera por excelencia.

This is a common, humble plant, but with a lot of importance (just like any other plant in nature). According to the bibliographic review I did, I was able to find the following features, which I consider important to know:

It is a ruderal plant, that is, it grows in very poor soils, as I noted previously.
It has a very special metabolism, which allows it to do both types of photosynthesis, so day and night it is doing this process.

It is the plant that has the greatest amount of Omega 3, so it is very beneficial for health.

Provides vitamins C and B. It also provides magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron.

Provides two types of very powerful antioxidants, ideal for preventing brain deterioration and the cancer.

Esta es una planta común, humilde, pero con mucha importancia (al igual que cualquier otra planta en la naturaleza). Según la revisión bibliográfica que hice, pude encontrar los siguientes rasgos, que considero importante conocer:

Es una planta ruderal, es decir, que crece en suelos muy pobres, tal como señalé previamente.
Tiene un metabolismo muy especial, que le permite hacer los dos tipos de fotosíntesis, por lo que día y noche está haciendo este proceso.

Es la planta que tiene mayor cantidad de Omega 3, por lo que es muy beneficiosa para la salud.

Aporta vitaminas C y B. También aporta magnesio, calcio, potasio, hierro.

Aporta dos tipos de antioxidantes muy potentes, ideales para prevenir el deterioro del cerebro y el cáncer.

Here I end my post today, in which I have shared images of a humble but valuable plant, which beyond being a bad weed, is very beneficial for human health. I say goodbye to you and, remember: Not all days are the same and even more important: Everything you give, everything you do, will inexorably return to you. Hugs!

Aquí termino mi post de hoy, en el que les he compartido las imágenes de una humilde pero valiosa planta, que más allá de ser una yerba mala, es muy beneficiosa para la salud humana. Me despido de ustedes y, recuerden: No todos los días son iguales y más importante aún: Todo lo que das, todo lo que haces, inexorablemente volverá a ti. ¡Abrazos!

Source of photographs / Fuente de las fotografías

All photos have been taken by me, with my Galaxy a04e cell pone / Todas las fotos fueron tomadas por mí, con mi teléfono celular Galaxy a04e

BIBLIOGRAPHY / BIBLIOGRAFÍA

Todo el contenido, (excepto los separadores de texto) es de mi propiedad y está sujeto a derechos de autor // All content (except text dividers) is my property and is subject to copyright.

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atma.love 3 months ago

i have purlsane growing wild in many beds in the garden and even in some pots in my nursery. i let some grow for ground cover, trim back often so not to crowd other plants, and harvest sometimes for smoothies.

0.33 VYB

3 votes

sirenahippie 3 months ago

Yes, it is quite common in many countries. Including it from time to time in smoothies or salads is good. Hugs!

0.00 VYB

1 vote

Hugs back.

Great interview by the way. i read it yesterday. It's nice to know more about you.

Peace & Love

0.01 VYB

nikv 3 months ago

Oh that's very common at my place too. Some people eat it here but as you say, too much is bad for the kidneys

0.15 VYB

2 votes

It is good in moderation, I think it is more convenient to cook it before, to eliminate part of the oxalate it has.

aswita 3 months ago

I've never seen that kind of succulent before, but I think the flowers would be even more beautiful if they grew properly.

0.14 VYB

No, those are the flowers for this species. There is another variety, Portulaca grandiflora, which does bloom very beautifully and in many colors and shades. The flowers of this purslane are small and shy, and yellow.