Pearls Or Jewels?

A year or so ago, I gave a couple houseplants to a friend up here in the great North of the Middle of Nowhere. I didn't have names for them, so she looked them up. I'm sure she gave me the correct names for them, but my brain changed the one. Therefore, for the past year I've been calling this lovely plant the Pearls of Omar. I stand corrected: it's the Jewels of Opar. Ooops. That's very similar, right? I've never heard the name Opar, but am aware of more than one Omar.

The way I came to possess my first Jewels of Opar is a bit convoluted. Years ago (1968, to be exact), my career Air Force father was transferred from Wiesbaden, Germany, to the 779th Radar Station outside Opheim, Montana. My mother always had lots of houseplants. There are strict rules/laws governing the importation of fruits, veggies, and plants. Mom especially loved her kaffir lily, so she wrapped up a cutting and secreted it in her suitcase. Once settled here at the Opheim base, she planted it. (I didn't talk openly about mom's smuggling until after I saw a huge pot of kaffir lilies at the Smithsonian in DC. Statute of limitations must be long past, plus mom is no longer subject to arrest.)

Two moves later, Dad was retired and living in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Since both moves remained within the continental US, mom still had her kaffir lily. After her death, dad remained faithful in caring for it, lugging the pot outside for the summer, inside for the winter. Eventually, the pot became too heavy, so my closest-in-age sister decided to take over. It was extremely root-bound. In fact, she had to use a sledgehammer to break it out of its clay pot. Roots were actually embedded in the clay. The lily was split into four pots, one for each of us daughters (our brother, alas, was left out). My older sister's daughter has retained possession of her mom's plant. (I'd split mine, sharing with my two sister-in-law. This plant does like being root bound.)

Anyway, this oddball plant showed up in the pot with my kaffir lily. It would flower, produce seeds, and then die away. Those tiny seeds would drift into other nearby pots and sprout, so I always had another one or two show up. I recently offered up some of my duplicate plants on Facebook, with photos.

My sister (the one of the sledgehammer) saw the photos, and having always had the same plants from mom, and also not having known what it was, looked it up. Now that she's corrected my terminology, I'll share what I've learned about my jewels.

Jewels of Opar are native to Central and North America. They're of the family Talinaceae, genus Talinum, species Paniculatum, commonly called Talinum Paniculatum (repetitive). Beside being called Jewels (or Pearls) of Opar, they're called Fame Flower, Waterleaf, South American ginseng, Kingswood Gold, or Pink Baby's Breath. They'll grow wild in zones 9-11, but make fine houseplants or annuals up here. (I think I saw a packet of these seeds at Markles last year.)

Jewels of Opar are a superfood succulent, related to purslane. It's edible! I'm told the leaves are similar to spinach, but remains sweet when the heat hits and spinach would bolt and become bitter. It's a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, anti-oxidants, and is rich in iron and potassium. I read that scientists who've studied it have a little rhyme: a leaf a day keeps anemia away. Who knew all this time I was sitting on a cure for my rare bouts of anemia? And it is free!

Jewels of Opar is used in Chinese medicine, as well as in other countries. It has been used to treat headaches, pneumonia, diarrhea (although I also read that consuming too many leaves at once could cause that unpleasantness), and other internal ailments. It's been used as an aphrodisiac. The roots are used for impotence. What a dual-purpose plant this is. It's also anti-fungal as well as anti-bacterial, so the sap can be used on skin ailments. I could become a snake oil salesman!

The seeds are tiny and disperse easily with the slightest breeze. Some call it invasive in those zones where it thrives outside. I think I'm going to gather the seeds and try growing some in my garden this summer. Lots of people keep it in their herb gardens, or even in their flowerbeds. It's used as filler in flower arrangements. I'm appreciating it more now that I know more about it.