Portulaca oleracea L.

Species: Portulaca oleracea L.

English Name: Purslane 

Chinese Name: 马齿苋

Family: Portulacaceae

Description:

Annual herbs, somewhat succulent, glabrous. Stem usually pale purple-red. Its leaves fleshy, flat, oblong-eliptic to obovate. Flowers are yellow, blooming between summer and autumn. Capsules are dehiscent by a lid.

Preparation: Whole plant is used. It can be collected in summer or autumn and used fresh or dried under the sun after it is steamed.

Properties: Sour in taste, cold in nature.

Actions and indications: Clears heat, expels damp, cools blood-heat, removes toxic substances. Indicated for bacillary dysentery, acute gastroenteritis, mastitis, hemorrhoidal bleeding, leucorrhea. External use for... Read more »

Polygonum chinense L.

Species: Polygonum chinense L.

English Name:  Chinese Knotweed

Chinese Name: 火炭母

Family: Polygonaceae

Description:

Perennial trailing herbs. Its stems are glabrous with young purple-red branches. Leaves are alternate, ovate-eliptic, base truncate or subcordate, with purple blotches on upper surface. Flowers are small, white or pale-red.

It can be found growing on wastelands, roadsides and other wet places near villages.

Preparation: Whole herb is used. It can be collected all year round, used fresh or sun-dried.

Properties: Slightly sour and astringent in taste, cool in nature.

Actions and Indications: Clears heat, removes toxic substances, expels damp,... Read more »

Nymphaea sp.

Species: 

English Name: Water-lily 

Chinese Name: 

Family: Nymphaeaceae

Description:

An aquatic species vastly used as an ornamental plant. They are mostly rhizomatous perennial herbs, sometimes with stolons. The leaves grow on long petioles from the rhizome. They float on the surface of the water, with the flowers rising from it. Each has at least 8 petals in different color shades (white, yellow, pink or blue).

They are pollinated by insects, often beetles.

 

 

 

Photos used under a Creative Commons license

References:

– Atlas of Common Harmful Freshwater Algae in Macau (2011), written by Qiu Yi Jian, Ung Wai Kin, and... Read more »

Prionitis sp.

Species: 

English Name: Red algae

Chinese Name: 

Family: Halymeniaceae

Description:

Most are perennial and dioecious. The morphology of reproductive structures and pos-fertilization processes is what allows the distinction between families.

The thallus is usually multiaxial, erect and bladelike.

 

 

 

 

 

Photos used under a Creative Commons license

References:

– Atlas of Common Harmful Freshwater Algae in Macau (2011), written by Qiu Yi Jian, Ung Wai Kin, and Kong Yi Jun, Editor-In-Chief: Fan Xiao Jun, Macau University of Science and Technology

Ulva sp.

Species: 

English Name: Sea lettuce

Chinese Name: 

Family: Ulvaceae

Description:

Ulva comprimises a group of  group of edible green algae that is widely distributed along the coasts of the world’s oceans. Individual blades of Ulva can grow to be more than 400mm (16″) in size, but this only occurs when the plants are growing in sheltered areas.

 

 

 

Photos used under a Creative Commons license

References:

– Atlas of Common Harmful Freshwater Algae in Macau (2011), written by Qiu Yi Jian, Ung Wai Kin, and Kong Yi Jun, Editor-In-Chief: Fan Xiao Jun, Macau University of Science and Technology Publishing, ISBN: 978-99937-53-24-7