(Portulaca oleracea)

DESCRIPTION:
This annual has thick, fleshy pink to green stems, succulent leaves, and bright yellow midsummer flowers with sensitive stamens.

USES:
Rich in iron and vitamin C, the crounchy, cooling leaves and stems blend well with hotter salad herbs.

They make a succulent pickle and are cooked as a vegetable and are added to soups. The dried seed is ground and added to flour. ýn China the whole plant is given for diarrhoea, urinary infections, and to reduce fevers. In Indonesia it is prescribed for cardiac weakness, and the seed and fruit for laboured breathing. the juice treats skin diseases.