Someone asked me to help them find some information about Purslane in Ghana. Purslane is spread globally throughout the continents, except in Antarctica… however, even Antarctica may sprout some Purslane with climate change warming up the ice sheets.
The Ghana plant looks to be the same as the Purslane I am growing in Phoenix, Arizona. European and Chinese and Indian farmers will grow the plant for groceries and otherwise is found in some farmer’s markets around the world. The scientific name is Portulaca oleracea and the photos I found of this plant in Africa are very similar with the brand of Purslane I am growing in Phoenix, Arizona. Here is a wonderful set of pictures from this website:
The version in the southwest is nearly identical and probably considered the same species
Ghana TV station HSTV Ghana did a 35 minute special on the plant (the interview is in Akan)
[In] Ghana
The leaves are ground, mixed with oil, and tied on boils to bring them to a head [Quisumbing, 1978], sometimes in combination the leaves are also eaten with tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus) as a remedy for skin diseases and chancres. A decoction made by steeping or macerating the leaf in (cold) water is used for heart palpitations [Burkill, 1997; Quisumbing, 1978]. The fresh leaf is applied as a poultice to sprains and swellings [Carrington, 1998].
It was first described in a reference book by Hutchinson and Dalziel in 1954.
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