PURSLANE— FALSE FLAX 23 



different cereals. This plant is becoming more common in the State 

 each year. 



Eradication. — Cow cockle can easily be kept in check by sowing 

 clean seed. The seeds are small and easily screened out of seed grain. 

 Stray plants should be destroyed before the seeds mature. 



Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) 



Other common names. — Garden purslane, pursley, wild portulaca, 

 and pusley. 



Description. — Purslane is an annual weed. It is very spreading 

 in its habit of growth and is almost always found prostrate on the 

 ground. It branches freely, the branches coming from a central root 

 and extending in every direction. This is a very fleshy plant, the 

 leaves and stems containing so much moisture that the seeds often 

 ripen even after the plant is detached from the soil. The incon- 

 spicuous, yellow flowers begin to form during the latter part of June, 

 but the plant keeps on flowering and produces seeds during nearly 

 the entire season. The small, black, kidney-shaped seeds are produced 

 in a pod which breaks open when the fruit is mature. They are very 

 finely marked but the markings can not be seen without the aid of 

 a magnifying glass. Purslane, is scattered chiefly by seeds, although 

 sometimes small roots are sent out at the joints. It is very often 

 considered a bad weed in the garden. 



Eradication. — Frequent hoeing, preferably when the plants are 

 young, will prove effective. If nearly mature they should be removed 

 from the field or garden and burned if possible. The plant seeds 

 freely and is very persistent but can be eradicated by prompt and 

 constant attention for a season. 



False Flax (Camelina sativa L.) 



Other common names. — American false flax, Dutch flax, oil- 

 seed plant, Siberian oilseed, jack flax, cheat, and madwort. 



Description. — False flax belongs to the mustard family and 

 is either an annual or winter annual. It was introduced from 

 Europe and is found particularly in flax fields, also in other cultivated 

 fields and waste places. The plant has one central root, from which 

 grow several upright, leafy side branches. It grows from about one to 

 three feet high, bears small yellow flowers from June to August, and 

 matures seeds from July to September. The seed pods are about a 

 quarter of an inch long and somewhat oblong in shape. The seeds 



