Description

Portulaca oleracea ( Common Purslane , also known as Verdolaga , Pigweed , Little Hogweed or Pusley ), is an annual succulent in the family Portulacaceae , which can reach 40 cm in height. About 40 varieties are currently cultivated. * It has an extensive old-world distribution extending from North Africa through the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent to Malesia and Australasia . The species status in the New World is uncertain: it is generally considered an exotic weed, however, there is evidence that the species was in Crawford Lake deposits ( Ontario ) in 1430-89, suggesting that it reached North America in the pre-Columbian era. eed .