Claytonia perfoliata (syn. Sow direct in Autumn or Winter. If you want to add a bit of wild to your garden, you can also grow miner’s lettuce from seed in cool moist soil in the early spring. Miner's lettuce - Montia perfoliata, was brought to Australia during the goldrush days in New South Wales and Victoria by miners from the American goldfields. McIntyre, P. J. The best leaves grow under trees. William Taylor in 1849 during the California gold rush: Rev. Miner's lettuce was prescribed by Rev. Miner’s lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata, is a cool-season plant native to the western regions of North America and can be found growing naturally from the coast to the Central Plains. It is a spot where Miner's lettuce used to grow. Systematics of Claytonia (Portulacaceae). There are three well-studied geographical subspecies of C. perfoliata:[6], The common name of miner's lettuce refers to how the plant was used by miners during the California Gold Rush, who ate it to prevent scurvy. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. It is a fleshy, herbaceous, annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America, from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia, all the way south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin Valleys. [13], Species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae, McIntyre, P. J. Miner’s lettuce is native to the western coastal and mountain regions of North America and was spread to Europe in the late 1700s when it was brought back from an expedition to the new world. Pick from February to May, but you will need to find deeper, cooler, places the later you go. Also, a giant oak that grew here was cut down. I know because I have a very distinct memory associated with the lettuce I picked on this spot. SCIENTIFIC NAME: Claytonia perfoliata CULTURE: Direct seed any time midspring through late summer. Growing Head Lettuce. As the days get hotter and drier, the leaves turn a deep red color as they dry out. But if you live in the area where it’s native, this is a fantastic native wild vegetable that you can easily grow on your wild homestead. Miner's lettuce is a cool season plant, hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The best leaves grow under trees. [11][12], Flower petals are 2 to 6 millimetres (0.079 to 0.236 in) long, Miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) served as a salad, Claytonia perfoliata is called piyada̠ʼ in the Western Mono language, a Native American language of California. Bright flavors and crisp textures often lacking in a seasonal diet of darker days. Sun or partial shade preferred. Lettuce (Miners) Growing Guide Crop Rotation Group. Cold hardy through part of the Maine winter means that it’s cold hardy through all of the Vermont winter in an unheated greenhouse. It was a real annomaly for me trying to find it in growing wild in the Midwest. The flowers grow above a pair of leaves that are connected together around the stem so as to appear as a single circular leaf. 2012. Systematics of Claytonia (Portulacaceae). Green leaf lettuce is a favorite of both salad lovers and destructive leafminers, also known as Liriomyza langei. But one of my favorite wild greens, miner’s lettuce, doesn’t grow wild here. The first true leaves form a rosette at the base of the plant, and are 0.5 to 4 centimetres (0.20 to 1.57 in) long, with a typically long petiole (exceptionally up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long). Miner’s lettuce is one of the best wild greens you’ll ever taste, but, if you don’t have a place to harvest, it can cost you an arm and a leg. Sometimes, it is boiled like spinach, which it resembles in taste and chemical composition. 2006. 2012. • Miner’s lettuce will grow in sun, light or heavy shade. This is a leafy green that can be used in salads. Cytogeography and genome size variation in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) polyploid complex. "Per" means "through" and foliata, refers to the foliage. Yes, tolerates mild frosts. Feeding. A miner’s lettuce plant viewed from above. I’m ready for fresher and lighter fare. Caution should be used because wild C. perfoliata can sometimes accumulate toxic amounts of soluble oxalates (also present in spinach). Butterhead- Bibb and Boston are examples of this loose-heading type with dark green leaves that are somewhat thicker than those of iceberg lettuce. Not many people are familiar with Claytonia. Not required. The small pink or white flowers have five petals 2 to 6 millimetres (0.079 to 0.236 in) long. For the best results, plant head lettuce in your fall garden. Miscellaneous Soil. COMMENTS: Is effective at killing larvae in the mines. This is in my neighborhood. Claytonia is another plant that will continue to grow even when daylight hours are less than 10 hours a day. MINER'S LETTUCE: Claytonia perfoliata: Member $3.95. All Rights Reserved. [7] It is in season in April and May, and can be eaten as a leaf vegetable. It has also been introduced into the United Kingdom, … Technology Zooey Deschanel's New Startup Makes a Smart Vegetable Garden That Fits in a Phone Booth Lettuce Grow is the foolproof solution for city dwellers who want to grow their own food. Systematic Botany Monographs 78: 1-236. Annals of Botany (Oxford) 110(6): 1195-203. Come spring, you can prospect for your own miner’s lettuce in moist woods on either side of the Cascades, from sea level to the subalpine fastnesses. Annals of Botany (Oxford) 110(6): 1195-203, Miller, J. M. and K. L. Chambers. We haven’t had to plant it in years since it prolifically self-seeds. It is Native to California and is often called Miner’s lettuce because it was used by gold miners to supplement their meager winter diets. Cytogeography and genome size variation in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) polyploid complex. Claytonia miners lettuce is also known as Claspleaf miners lettuce, Indian lettuce and by its botanical name of Claytonia perfoliata. Either way, in spring, I’m ready. [3] Two key studies on the population ecology and genetics of the C. perfoliata complex were published in 2012.[4][5]. Claytonia perfoliata is a tender rosette-forming plant that grows to a maximum of 40 centimetres (16 in) in height, but mature plants can be as short as 1 centimetre (0.39 in). Growing Iceberg lettuce requires a bit more care than other varieties. Please log in again. The generic name of Claytonia is in reference to a botanist of the 1600s by the name of John Clayton, while its specific name, perfoliata is due to the perfoliate leaves which completely encircle the stem and are attached at the bas… Today Miner’s lettuce is widely found in the wild and at specialty grocers in North America, Central America, Europe, and … The Miner's lettuce no longer seems to grow here. A fleshy succulent green that was eaten by miners in California to stave off scurvy. It grows in moist, shady areas along streams in the desert and in the mountains. Miner’s lettuce is a perennial vegetable native to much of the western United States and Canada. Wild lettuce (also known as Lactuca Virosa) is a plant where the leaves, sap, and seed are used to make medicine.This medicinal lettuce has been widely used since ancient Greece. All parts of this plant are edible and it grows well in the colder months providing a refreshing salad alternative in the depths of winter. Miners lettuce is found from British Columbia south down to Guatemala and east into Alberta, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Arizona. The cotyledons are usually bright green (rarely purplish- or brownish-green), succulent, long and narrow. 2012. Single Plants: 3" … Spacing. Frost tolerant. "The Plant List: A working list of all plant species", "Foraging for Miner's Lettuce, America's Gift to Salad", "A Dictionary of Western Mono: Second Edition", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claytonia_perfoliata&oldid=987432341, Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands, Natural history of the Central Valley (California), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Companions. [8] The entire plant is edible, except the roots and it provides vitamin C.[9] Most commonly, it is eaten raw in salads, but it is not quite as delicate as cultivated lettuce. 2006. It now grows wild along creeks and waterways in a number of old worked-out fields. Miner's lettuce is perfectly fine when in flower—unlike most spring greens—but pick before the flower stalk gets too long. The other common names of this plant are Indian lettuce, spring beauty, winter purslane, or miner’s lettuce. If transplanting, sow 4-5 seeds per 1-2" cell container. It's possible this plant is more tolerant of … They can grow in average soil. Every year miner’s lettuce pops all on its own, sometimes in midwinter. Do not apply at less than 7-day intervals or exceed 48 fl oz/acre per growing season. One of the most popular types of lettuce, salad lovers all over the country often wonder how to grow Iceberg lettuce. The plant first appears in sunlit areas after the first heavy rains of the year, though the best stands are found in shaded areas, especially in the uplands, into early summer. You can also grow miner’s lettuce, and it’s one of the earliest spring greens, even in colder climates. According to the USDA, miner’s lettuce has naturalized in a few places east of the Plains, notably Ohio, Georgia and New Hampshire. Growing Miner’s Lettuce – A Fantastic Native Wild Vegetable, Posts may contain affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. And Miner’s Lettuce fills that need perfectly. B. CYROMAZINE (Trigard) 2.66 oz: 12: 7: MODE-OF-ACTION GROUP NUMBER 1: 17: COMMENTS: An insect growth regulator that is very effective against leafminer larvae. Montia perfoliata), also known as miner's lettuce, Indian lettuce, spring beauty, or winter purslane, is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. The flowers appear from February to May or June and are grouped 5–40 together. Thin to 4-6" apart. This fleshy annual plant belongs to Western Mountain and coastal regions of North America from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. However, it’s most abundant in coastal and central California. McIntyre, P. J. Sow seeds 1/2" apart, in rows 12" apart, covering 1/4". • It prefers a light, sandy soil with enough organic matter to retain moisture. A native plant in the western United States, it was a valuable food source for early miners. Miners lettuce can be found growing wild from California all the way up to Alaska, and has made appearances along the east coast too. Position. Crisphead lettuce, or head for short, is the lettuce we know as Iceberg. In fact, it gets it’s name from the California gold miner’s who ate it to keep the scurvy away. Apply in at least 20 gal water/acre. It is usually found growing in wetlands, but it is sometimes found in non-wetlands. However, for the best quality leaves, plant in a cool, damp, semi-shade area. It thrives along mountain streams, forming dense green mats in cool, shaded glens, and patches still carpet Seattle parks. In 430 BC (2447 years ago) Hippocrates, known as the Father of Modern Medicine, wrote about the pain-relieving effects of the plant’s milky sap.By the 1800s, it had reached America. Leaves grow individually on long stems, but should be cut to no more than 5cm (2") in length. It is a fleshy, herbaceous, annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America, from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia, all the way south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin Valleys. [10], It has been widely naturalized in western Europe, after being introduced there in the eighteenth century, possibly by the naturalist Archibald Menzies, who brought it to Kew Gardens in London in 1794. But preparing the soil by tilling and adding some organic materials into it will be very good for the growth of the plants. Montia perfoliata), also known as miner's lettuce, Indian lettuce, spring beauty, or winter purslane, is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. Miner's Lettuce - Claytonia perfoliata Edible plant - novice Other common names: Winter Purslane, Indian Purslane, Spring Beauty Scientific name meaning: Clayton is arrived from the name of a botanists in the 1600s - John Clayton. It also grows in parts of Central America, Cuba and Australia. The login page will open in a new tab. That is why Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticists Beiquan Mou and Edward Ryder developed the first leafminer-resistant green leaf lettuce. Mature plants form a rosette; they have numerous erect to spreading stems that branch from the base. Miner’s lettuce at a public park in San Francisco. There is a new house here and a fence that may have changed the sunlight. Your purchase through the links helps me create content like this post, Miner’s lettuce was brought to Europe back in 1794, A food forest is a great place to plant miner’s lettuce, How to Deal with Compacted Soil (without digging), Usher in Spring with Osoberry (Indian Plum). Miner’s Lettuce is a wonderful green and seems to grow almost everywhere, at least here on the west coast where it’s native. Perfoliata comes from Latin. You can almost taste the vitamins and nutrients in its succulent leaves. C. perfoliata is common in the springtime, and prefers a cool, damp environment. Miller, J. M and K. L. Chambers. • Sow in spring or autumn when seeds will usually germinate rapidly. When to Find Miner’s Lettuce The duration of the miner’s lettuce season depends on how shady and how wet it is. It has become naturalized in Europe because of its use as a vegetable. Systematic Botany Monographs 78: 1-236. How to have miner’s lettuce for the rest of your natural life: if you let the little miner’s lettuce plants grow to maturity, that is, to blossom out and go to seed (sometime in the spring), and then also allow them to drop their seeds (frankly, it’s hard to stop them) you will never, EVER lack for miner’s lettuce … William Taylor's account of using miner's lettuce to treat scurvy: This page was last edited on 7 November 2020, at 00:41. Polyploidy associated with altered and broader ecological niches in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) species complex. Light, sandy soil best but will grow in most locations.