Clayton Lettuce – Delicious!
By John Clayton

Nomenclature:

The plant was originally called Claytonia perfoliata, and is still known in England and Europe under this botanical designation. Elsewhere it is known as Montia perfoliata, named for Giuseppe Monti, a professor of botany at the University of Cologne in the eighteenth century.

The genus Claytonia is named for John Clayton (1694-1773), Clerk to the County Court of Gloucester County, Virginia, USA from 1720 until his death, one of the earliest collectors of plant specimens in that state, and described as the greatest American botanist of his day.

John Clayton conscientiously and systematically took samples of everything he encountered, and sent them to Mark Catesby at Oxford, who in turn sent them to Gronovius in Leiden, Holland.

The vegetable received considerable attention during the days of the California gold rush, when it served as a cheap and readily available source of greens for the miners. Unfortunately, this name carried with it the implication of a rough-and-ready emergency food, not an elegant green for proper Victorian tables. This may have helped prejudice many Americans against it in the nineteenth century, especially since it was a common “weed.” Happily, it has recently undergone a revival of interest as part of a general shift toward exploring alternative ingredients

The Miners were not the only ones who appreciated miner’s lettuce. The American Indians not only ate it raw and cooked; they also made a tea from the plant, hence its other name: Indian lettuce.

In England it is occasionally known as Springbeauty, while the Irish name is Plúirín earraigh.

The common names of 'Winter Purslane' and 'Miners Lettuce' are misleading: it is neither a lettuce nor a purslane, although both are members of the portulaca family, which are known for their juicy, succulent leaves.