PURSLANE

Purs″lane (?), n. [[OF. porcelaine, pourcelaine (cf. It. porcellana), corrupted fr. L. porcilaca for portulaca.]] (Bot.) An annual plant (Portulaca oleracea), with fleshy, succulent, obovate leaves, sometimes used as a pot herb and for salads, garnishing, and pickling. Flowering purslane, or Great flowered purslane, the Portulaca grandiflora. See Portulaca. — Purslane tree, a South African shrub (Portulacaria Afra) with many small opposite fleshy obovate leaves. — Sea purslane, a seashore plant (Arenaria peploides) with crowded opposite fleshy leaves. — Water purslane, an aquatic plant (Ludwiqia palustris) but slightly resembling purslane.