VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Claytonia perfoliata | Miner's-Lettuce 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Miner's-lettuce is preferred by cattle in blue oak (Quercus douglasii)
savannas in California [5].  It is also grazed by pocket gophers [6].
Mourning doves, California quail, and other seed-eating birds consume
the fruits [24,41]. 


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The nutritional composition of miner's-lettuce has been determined to be
37.1 percent protein, 42.5 percent total carbohydrate, and 12.4 percent
crude fiber.  The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 0.66:1.0 [37].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
The blossoms, leaves, and stems of miner's-lettuce may be eaten by
humans at any time during the growing season.  They are eaten raw or
cooked, and are a good source of vitamin C [11,37].  Historically,
miner's-lettuce was used as a salad plant and potherb by white settlers
and Native Americans [19].  It was also used to avert or cure scurvy
[37].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
In California, density and overall yield of miner's-lettuce is greater
in bracken fern communities than in surrounding grasslands [14,15].
This may be due to increased moisture availability in winter and early
spring, when bracken fern is dormant [14].

Miner's-lettuce is a host to the beet western yellows virus, which is
spread by aphids [43].  

Purslane sawfly larvae, which consume the seeds, afford some biological
control over miner's lettuce [42,43].

Related categories for Species: Claytonia perfoliata | Miner's-Lettuce