FIG. 9. 



PURSLANE, OR PURSLEY. 

 Portulaca oleracea (L). 



Purslane is pre-eminently a garden weed and is readily recognized by 

 its fleshy leaves and stem, which lie prostrate on the ground. It is an 

 annual. 



The stems are red, and the leaves wedge-shaped and clustered at the 

 ends of branches. The flowers are bright yellow, about J in. across and 

 open only during full sunlight for a few hours in the morning. The 

 seeds (Fig. 9, a), in small capsules, are black, kidney-shaped, and 

 extremely small. An average plant produces 60,000 seeds. 



Time of flowering, July, until frost. 



Time of seeding, August, until frost. 



Dispersal by seeds. 



Purslane has been used as hog feed in very dry seasons, but the cost 

 of gathering it is too great. 



Eradication. Careful hoeing and constant cultivation. The latter 

 should be as early as possible. The same treatment should be followed 

 as that outlined for Foxtail (Fig. 1). 



