Rooreh, Claytonia perfoliata

About Rooreh (Claytonia perfoliata) 9 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Claytonia perfoliata (Rooreh) is an annual herb in the Montiaceae (Montia) family. It is native to a large portion of western North America, including almost every county in California. It is a trailing plant, growing to a maximum of 40 centimeter in length, but mature plants can be as small as 1 centimeter.

The cotyledons are usually bright green (sometimes purplish or brownish-green), succulent, long and narrow. The first true leaves form a rosette at the base of the plant, and are 0.5-4 centimeter long, with an often long petiole (exceptionally up to 20 centimeter long).

Mature leaves are round, succulent and edible, leading to the common name. The small white flowers have five petals 2-6 millimeter long; they appear from February to May or June and are grouped 5-40 together, above a pair of leaves that are united together around the stem to appear as one circular leaf. Mature plants have numerous erect-to-spreading stems that branch from the base.

The presence of Rooreh is indicative of a healthy oak woodland. This plant tends to be more drought tolerant near the coast and other cool-weather areas.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Annual herb

Size

1 - 1.3 ft tall
1 ft wide

Form

Upright, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

White

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported

A variety of insects
Butterfly host plants

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed

, 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Annaphila divaAnnaphila diva

Annaphila arvalisAnnaphila arvalis

Enchoria lacteataEnchoria lacteata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade

Moisture

Low, Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 9

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as winter moisture is provided.

Common uses

Groundcovers

Companion Plants

Works well as an annual understory plant with oaks, other trees or larger shrubs. Can be mixed with more showy annuals or perennial herbs.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 2 mos. stratification ( Emery and Frey 1971). It usually re-seeds itself.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Vernally moist places, often in understory of oaks or larger shrubs

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.6" - 121.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 3.46", Coldest Month: 30.6" - 57.4", Hottest Month: 53.9" - 84.2", Humidity: 0.01" - 34.96", Elevation: -247" - 7863"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Montia perfiolata
Common Names: Miner's Lettuce California Lettuce

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Rooreh

Claytonia perfoliata

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RoorehClaytonia perfoliata

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Rooreh

Claytonia perfoliata