Fabaceae / Papilionaceae

Portulacaceae
Portulaca oleracea L.
English name: Common/edible purslane.
Local name: Sindhi- Lunak, Khat khatani, Urdu- Kulfa, Punjabi-
Lunak.
Description:
An annual or perennial, prostrate or erect, 25 cm tall, succulent, glabrous green or purplish
green herb. It becomes reddish in dry condition. Leaves shiny green, smooth, spoon
shaped. Flowers small, sessile, yellow, terminal, solitary or in small cluster. Flowers remain
open till mid-day.
Flowering Period:
January to December.
Habitat:
Common roadside plant, in gardens on damp and disturbed
soils. Spontaneous as well as cultivated as a leafy vegetable.
Uses:
Used as a vegetable in diseases of liver, kidney and lungs,
leaves used in salad and stems pickled; stem and leaves
used in traditional medicine. Caterpillars of Great & Danaid
Egg fly butterflies feed on this plant.
Distribution:
Found in all warmer parts of the world.
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