The difference between mouse ears and purslane

Purslane is a plant that most people are familiar with. Whether it is eaten raw or cooked, it tastes great and is very popular. When picking purslane, you will also encounter plants such as mouse ears. Although they look similar in appearance, their shapes and nutritional values ​​are actually completely different.

1. Different families

Mouse ear is a vine-like shrub of the genus Rhamnaceae; while purslane is an annual herb of the genus Portulaca of the family Portulacaceae.

Is mouse ears purslane? Differences between Mouse Ear and Purslane

Image: Purslane

2. Different plant forms

1. Mouse Ear: Leaves are alternate, with short petioles, ovate or nearly round, 5-10 mm long, obtuse at the tip with small bumps, rounded or slightly cordate at the base, entire margin, papery, dark green above, pale beneath, with 5 pairs of lateral veins, straight and parallel. Flowers bisexual or polygamous, 2 to more clustered in leaf axils or at the top of branches, with short petioles 3 to 6 mm long; sepals 5, 2 to 3 mm long, narrowly lanceolate or linear; petals 5, linear-lanceolate; stamens 5, sometimes 6; ovary superior, 2-chambered. The fruit is fleshy, long ovoid, 4 to 6 mm long, and purple when ripe.

Is mouse ears purslane? Differences between Mouse Ear and Purslane

Picture: Mouse ears

2. Portulaca oleracea: The stem is purple-red, the leaves are alternate, sometimes nearly opposite, the leaf blades are flat, thick, obovate, and horse-tooth-shaped, with a rounded or truncated apex, sometimes slightly concave, a cuneate base, entire margin, dark green above, light green or dark red below, and a slightly raised midrib; the petiole is thick and short. The flowers are sessile, often clustered in 3-5 at the ends of branches; there are 2 sepals, about 4 mm long, with a keel-shaped protrusion on the back, and fused at the base; there are 5 petals, rarely 4, yellow, obovate, 3-5 mm long, slightly concave at the apex, and fused at the base; the capsule is ovoid, about 5 mm long, and the lid is cracked; the seeds are small, mostly obliquely spherical, dark brown, shiny, and less than 1 mm in diameter.

[Editor's Conclusion] The main difference between mouse ear and purslane is that the leaves of mouse ear are dark green on top and pale underneath, while the leaves of purslane are dark green on top and light green or dark red on the bottom. The above article introduces the difference between mouse ears and purslane. Do you know it?