Miner's Lettuce
Claytonia perfoliata
Miner’s lettuce is a spreading annual herb with trailing leaves of bright green. The plant’s first leaves, which are bright green and sometimes purplish or brownish-green in color, form around the base of the plant; as the leaves grow, they become rounder and wider. The leaves spread out around the central plant on numerous erect stems that branch from the base. The plant’s stems and leaves are both quite succulent, filled with water. The small white flowers have five petals, each 2-6 millimeters long. They occur in groups of 5-40 above a pair of leaves that are fused together by the stem so that they look like one circular leaf.
Basic Information
Member of the Montiaceae (Montia) family
Annual herb
Habitat
Native to a large portion of western North America, including almost every county in California
Prefers moist places, such as the understory of oaks or larger shrubs
Often found in riparian and wet woodland environments
Ecological Role
Numerous small insects, such as native bees and hover-flies, are attracted to the flowers
Reproduction
The flowers bloom from February to May or June
Pollinated by a variety of insects
Seeds are spread through myrmecochory, or via ants
The white, fleshy end of the seed tip is a nutrient-rich food packet called a elaiosome, which attracts ants
Ants carry seeds to their colony up to 1 mile away, feed the packet to their larvae, and discard the seeds, effectively planting them
Alternative Names
Winter Purslane, Spring Beauty, or Indian lettuce
Historical Uses
Numerous tribes including the Ohlone, Kawaiisu, and Mendocino Indians consumed the foliage, raw or boiled
The Shoshoni used the mashed plant to treat rheumatic pains
The Nlaka'pamux applied the plant to sore eyes
The Mahuna used the plant juice as an appetite restorer
The Yurok and other tribes used the shoot to play a game. The was stripped of it's outer layers leaving only the final leaf hanging loosely on a strand. Opponents held firmly to the base of the strand and attempted to hook the opponents leaf. After engaging, the opponents pulled and the opponent who retained their leaf won.
Additional Information
The presence of Miner's Lettuce is indicative of a healthy oak woodland
plant tends to be more drought tolerant near the coast or in other cool weather areas
Miner 49ers
