Anyway, here’s a quote from that website. “Beware of spurge, a different-looking poisonous creeping wild plant that sometimes grows near purslane. The stem is wiry, not thick, and it gives off a white, milky sap when you break it. If you’re very careless, you may put some in your bag along with purslane, because they sometimes grow together on lawns, gardens, and meadows.”

I have found spurge in my yard as well and it’s fairly easy to tell the difference.

I recently discovered purslane as well, also through my CSA. When the farmer told us what was in that week’s shares and showed us a piece of purslane I smacked my forehead as I realized that it was the same plant that I’d been ripping from the garden and throwing in the compost for years. No more. The good news is that with all of the purslane seeds in my compost I’ll likely have a good supply for years to come now that I’ve learned to just let it grow.

By the way, you can eat the stems too.

One other thing, in my search for more information about purslane, I found that there is another weed that grows in similar conditions and looks similar, but has a thin, wiry stem (I’ve forgotten its name). It also oozes milky sap when cut. Don’t eat it. It’s not purslane. Look for purslane’s thick stems.

I think you’re brilliant and you’d be proud of my G-rated rhyming skills. You can sing it as a lullaby.