Claytonia - Miner's Lettuce

Sold out for 2025 Claytonia perfoliata HEIRLOOM. This delightful green, also known as Winter Purslane or Spring Beauty, is native to the western mountain regions of North America. It got the name Miner's Lettuce because gold miners in the mid 1800's consumed it for Vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Long before the miners arrived, claytonia was used as food and medicine by many indigenous peoples up and down the Pacific coast. The taste is similar to spinach, and it can be used just like spinach, raw in salads or cooked. In zones 6 through 9 it is perennial, although most growers treat it as an annual and re-sow each year. Unlike most greens, the flavor is not affected by flowering, but hot weather will cause bitterness to develop. Claytonia can be direct sown in the garden any time from 4 weeks before last frost through late summer, and may grow through the winter in warm climates. It prefers shade or part shade, and damp, compost-rich soil. 0.5 gram packet contains a minimum of 150 seeds.