Plant Name
Scientific Name: Claytonia perfoliata
Synonym: Montia perfoliata
Common Name: Miner's Lettuce
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Riparian. This plant grows in moist, shady areas along streams in the desert, uplands, and mountains. It is usually found growing in wetlands (about 67% to 99% of the time), but it is sometimes found in non-wetlands.
Flower Color: White, Pink
Flowering Season: Spring
Height: To 1 foot (30 cm) tall
Description: The tiny, 5-petaled flowers are in small racemes at the center of round, perfoliate leaves (stemless leaves that clasp and surround the stems). The leaves are green and fleshy. Stressed plants may have red, orange, or yellow leaves. Unlike the round, perfoliate leaves, the lower leaves are elongated in shape and have petioles.
Special Characteristics
Edible – The young leaves are edible either raw or cooked. The older leaves or the leaves from drought-stressed plants may be bitter. The flowers and flower stalks are also edible.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Portulacaceae – Purslane family
Genus: Claytonia L. – springbeauty
Species: Claytonia perfoliata Donn ex Willd. – miner's lettuce
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