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- Leaves with Broad Distal Blade
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- Five-petaled Flower
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- Miner’s Lettuce
Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) closely resembles streambank spring beauty (Claytonia parviflora – see 04/22/2015). The most obvious field difference between the two plants is that miner’s lettuce has spade shaped leaf blades while streambank spring beauty’s basal leaves are narrow and linear. Both grow in moist areas and have edible leaves. This miner’s lettuce specimen was growing along Ash Creek (Lassen County CA).
Miner’s lettuce is also edible! It tastes like a heartier spinach and apparently nourished miners in the late winter months. But once it flowers, it takes on a sharp, unpleasant taste (which I learned the hard way).
Yes, indeed this plant is edible and the younger leaves are much more tender and less bitter.