Claytonia perfoliata, Miner’s Lettuce

Miner’s Lettuce is a nutritious and delicious wild edible green as well as a great groundcover for shade. The small pink or white flowers appear from February to May or June and grow above a pair of leaves that are connected together around the stem so as to appear as a single circular leaf. Mature plants form a rosette and have numerous spreading stems that branch from the base. It generally stays under a foot high. This annual prefers a cool, damp environment. It appears in sunlit areas after the first heavy rains of the year, though the best stands are found in shaded areas.

Claytonia is commonly consumed fresh in salads, though it can also be cooked. It grows primarily in winter or early spring, following a good rainfall.  As the days get hotter and drier, the leaves turn a deep red color as they dry out. It’s a rampant self-seeder and excellent edible ground cover. It supports butterflies and moths and is also an important food source for native mourning doves, California quail, and other seed-eating birds.

The plant’s common name dates back to the mid-1800s, when miners ate this Vitamin-C rich plant to help prevent scurvy during the California gold rush.