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Sea Purslane

Sessuvium portulacastrum

Photo by MrsPbio
Published on Project Noah
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29.2929, -81.0394

Field Notes

Description:

A branching, sprawling succulent growing in patches and mounds in the dunes. Stems about the size of a pencil, reddish in color. Leaves were green with a reddish wash to it.

Habitat:

Dunes along the beach at Ormond Beach, Florida.

Notes:

I found this website "Eat The Weeds" fascinating! Here's a bit of an article about this plant"

"Sea Purslane is an edible sand trap. As the wind blows along the beach it carries sand. When the wind flows over Sea Purslane it slows a little and drops some sand. That’s how the dunes grow, grain by grain. In the photo above that is exactly what the Sea Purslane is doing, this case building a three-foot dune. Then it grows over the dune it is helping to create. Sea Purslane is edible any time of the year though older stems develop a woody core so pick young growth. Also look for Sea Purlane on the inland waterway side of the beach. That way you pick it where it is not building a dune. Salty, it can be eaten raw or cooked. It grills well. You can also take it home and plant it in your vegetable garden. It will happily grow there, but won’t be salty."

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (1)

Hi, Karen. I've run into "Eat the Weeds," too. It's a hoot! Still, I don't know if I'd actually eat anything wild until I showed it to an expert. Just in case, you know, I'm too chicken! :-)
Photographed
PublishedSeptember 1, 2013

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