PLANT of the MONTH   ~~   APRIL, 2008
updated on or about the 1st of each month

MINER'S LETTUCE Common Name(s): Miner's Lettuce, Winter Purslane, Indian Lettuce Scientific Name: Claytonia perfoliata Family: Portulacaceae, Purslane family Plant Type: Annual succulent plant Size: less than 1 feet high, branching from base Common Habitat: shady areas in chaparral, woodland, sage scrub

This little plant is a common sight in the spring alongside the trail. While not very showy, the rich green color of its leaves and their distinctive shapes make it easy to identify.

Two types of leaves form on the plant. Lower, somewhat triangular-shaped leaves appear on long stems, followed by its more noticeable upper leaves which are cupped and roundish, sometimes shaped a bit like the letter "B". This symmetry belies that each upper leaf is really made of two leaves joined together. These upper leaves can be up to 3 inches in diameter. A distinguishing feature is how the flower stem appears to pierce through the (conjoined) leaf. Small, 5-petalled white flowers form on the stem's terminus. Flowers bloom from February through May. As the plant declines with the heat and aridity of summer, the leaves turn reddish.

Claytonia refers to 18th century botanist John Clayton. The flower stem emerging through the upper leaf gave the plant its species name, Perfoliata. It is reported that both Native peoples and Europeans ate the leaves; like many greens, they do well in salads or boiled. The taste is said to resemble spinach.

Contributed by Liz Baumann

ARCHIVES of past Plants of the Month:
March 2008: Shooting Star (Dodecatheon clevelandii)
February 2008: Eucrypta (Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia)
January 2008: Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa, Arctostaphylos glauca)
December 2007: Fire's Impact on Plants of the Santa Monicas - Volume 1
November 2007: California Aster (Lessingia filaginifolia, Corethrogyne filaginifolia)
October 2007: Turkey Mullein (Eremocarpus setigerus)
September 2007: Wild Heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum)
August 2007: California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
July 2007: Calabazilla (Cucurbita foetidissima)
June 2007: Speckled Clarkia (Clarkia cylindrica)
May 2007: Prickly Poppy (Argemone munita)
April 2007: Wild Cucumber (Marah macrocarpus)
March 2007: Large-Flowered Phacelia (Phacelia grandiflora)
February 2007: Chaparral Currant (Ribes malvaceum)
January 2007: Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)
December 2006: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)
November 2006: Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
October 2006: Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium)
September 2006: Vinegar Weed (Trichostema Lanceolatum)
August 2006: Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia)
July 2006: Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum)
June 2006: Yucca (Yucca whipplei)
May 2006: Monkey Flower (Mimulus Species)
April 2006: Lupine (Lupinus Species)
March 2006: Ceanothus (Ceanothus Species)
February 2006: Wild Peony (Paeonia californica)
January 2006: Purple Nightshade (Solanum xanti)
December 2005: Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

REFERENCES:
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, by Milt McAuley - link to Amazon.com
Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California, by Nancy Dale - link to Amazon.com
Roadside Plants of Southern California, by Thomas J. Belzer - link to Amazon.com
California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien - link to Amazon.com
California Herbal Remedies, by LoLo Westrich - link to Amazon.com