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Wild plant that would like to identify #225036

Asked January 20, 2015, 1:29 PM EST

This is my identyfication question #2 actually.
This plant grew "from itself" in my garden and I would like to identify it.
It is in Buenos AIres, Argentina.
Thanks

County Outside United States

Expert Response

Hello,
I am not certain of the identity of your plant since I am not generally familiar with plants of Argentina. However, the plant looks like it could be Portulaca oleracea. This is a cosmopolitan weed that is found in many places worldwide including Argentina. If you need an exact identification you may try to ask someone who studies weeds at a local university.

Below is a link to a site with distribution and photos of this weed.  You can compare it to what you found and see if they look to be the same plant.
http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/43609

thank you for using Ask an Expert.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied January 21, 2015, 4:52 PM EST
The response is very usefull and the link provided has the needed information. Given the pictures of the link, plus others I found, I am pretty sure it is the plant you mention. Many thanks for the help! PS: Wikipedia states that it has many culinary uses plus significal nutritional benefits. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea#Uses - 1/21/2015). And that it has a place in tradicional cuisine in many countries I am going to investigate further in order to verify it "usability" and eventually no longer treat it as a weed.
The Question Asker Replied January 21, 2015, 9:38 PM EST
I'm glad the plant seems to be the Portulaca in the description I sent. Yes, I saw that it has potential culinary uses, but I would caution you against eating it unless you are absolutely sure of what it is just to be safe. Best of luck and thanks for using Ask an Expert!
An Ask Extension Expert Replied January 21, 2015, 9:51 PM EST

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