Claytonia Sibirica

Day 184: It used to be Montia, and it used to be Miner's Lettuce, but as has occurred with so many other things in the world, our perception of this little plant has changed thanks to scientific advances, and now it's Claytonia sibirica or Western Spring Beauty. Honestly, I'm having a hard time keeping up! It is fairly abundant here in the Pacific Northwest, and if you're a hunter-gatherer type, the foliage makes a tangy addition to a garden salad, but caution should be exercised when consuming it because of the presence of oxalic acid in its tissues. Accumulations of oxalic acid can lead to kidney stones. That said, I occasionally nibble a leaf or two, finding them a bit tart and lemony.

Miner's Lettuce

Day 228: Today I bring you a rather mundane little plant which is often seen in lowland forests in the Pacific Northwest: Claytonia perfoliata, formerly known as Montia perfoliata. The second half of the binomial name is especially descriptive of the species. "Perfoliata" means "perforated leaf." The stem of this plant arises from the center of what appears to be a single fleshy leaf, but in fact it is two joined leaves as can be seen by observation of the two pointed tips. As the common name suggests, Miner's Lettuce is edible. It has a rather tangy taste, a little on the sour side. I wouldn't want to make a whole salad from it, but like nasturtium leaves, it would add a little extra zest to lettuce or romaine. Consumption of large amounts of Miner's Lettuce is not recommended because it contains oxalic acid which can lead to development of kidney stones, but snacking on a few vitamin-C rich leaves while you're out hiking might even be beneficial.