Portulaca (portulaca oleracea) is an amazing hero and part of a group of plants which had developed a special strategy to adept to very sunny, hot and dry areas. With up to 200.000 seeds per plant and a robust constitution its seeds can travel in salt water and 60% even germinate after 20 years.
Ancient farmer used portulaca as a ground plant under olive trees and as a tasty vegetable and salat in the cuisine.
In the dry and very sunny areas of our color garden we are happy to welcome the return of this pioneer plant. It returns after several years without any chemical intervention in our soil and it will redesign the shape of our vegetable garden a lot.
The special advantage of this plant is its metabolism. Portulaca is able to process carbondioxid in the night and store it in its cells (CAM). It could close its leave traps over the day with the advantage of not loosing so much water (the price of other plants which need to open the traps to get carbon oxid to develop their growth.
The return of this hero will give us many advantages. First of all we will harvest one of the highest vitamin A carrier and use it in the cusine as salad and vegetable (acid if you harvest in the morning, more sweet and smart if you harvest end of the day).
Second we have a pioneer plant able to bring shadow to the ground and especially around trees it hold the water in the soil.
Third it expand the possibility to catch the morning dew through its great amount of surcafe.
Portulaca is also an interesting medicinal plant and delivers Vitamin B1,B2,B3,B6 and B9, C and E.
Come for a visit and enjoy the taste of this super hero.