Bracts joined together in a disk surrounding the stem. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange Co., CA. 3-08-08. © Joan Avise.

Miner's Lettuce

Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata  

A very early-blooming fleshy annual of damp shady places in coastal sage scrub and oak woodland.  The small flowers can be white or pinkish.  It is distinguished by the deltoid shape of the lower leaves which turn red as the plant dries out in the summer heat.  It was enjoyed raw or boiled by indigenous peoples, and used by California Gold Rush miners as a source of Vitamin C to prevent scurvy. 

Compare with Claytonia parviflora

Back to Montiaceae of Orange County, California
Back to Eudicots of Orange County, California
Back to Natural History of Orange County, California

Five petals, succulent leaves. Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 2-28-09. © Joan Avise.
Branched from base, 4-12 in. high. Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, CA. 3-02-08. © Joan Avise.

Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, CA. 3-02-08. © Joan Avise.
Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 2-28-09. © Joan Avise.

Lower leaves deltoid in shape on long stems. Holy Jim Canyon, Trabuco Canyon, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 3/23/13. © Peter J. Bryant.