Sea Purslane / Spring / Summer / Edible

Common Names

Sea Purslane

Botanical Name

Halimione portulacoides

Scientific Classification

Kingdom – Plantae

Order –Caryophyllales 

Family – Amaranthaceae

Physical Characteristics for Sea Purslane 

Sea purslane is a bushy perennial that sprawls along each other and the ground, growing to 75cm in length.

Leaves

It’s stalks a fairly woody, grey brown, producing succulent 2-4cm long oval shaped leaves, growing opposite on another up the stem. These are light green with a slight grey/silver tinge due to lots of very tiny hairs all over them.

Flowers

At the end of the stem it produces a cluster of minute yellow flowers which turn in to pale yellow seeds.

Habitat

Coastal areas, specifically salt marshes and sandy areas

Known Hazards 

None known but when collecting be aware of any pollution such as sewage outlets and keep an eye on the tide!

Could be Confused with

Habitat and look make this plant near impossible to confuse with anything.

Edible Uses

Leaves: The leaves provide a succulent crunch of delightful mineral packed saltiness, use in salads, and raw on top of foods

Flowers and Seeds: The flowers and seeds give an even more exciting pop of flavour, use them to adorn and garnish foods or make them in to a pesto.

It’s best to collect this plant on your hands and knees with a pair of scissors, ideally look for the growth that hasn’t yet developed tough woody stems as it will be easier to cook with later. Make sure you keep one eye on the tide.

Extra notes from the Foragers

Halimione is from the Greek Halimos, meaning belonging to the sea.

When collecting from shorelines, be aware of any pollution such as sewage outlets. Also, lots of the UK coastline is designated SSSI, so ensure you are allowed or have permission to forage