This is a low growing plant found in the Houston area countryside 

This is a low growing plant found in the Houston area countryside 

This is a low growing plant found in the Houston area countryside 

This is a low growing plant found in the Houston area countryside 

Liberty County: The images of the plant that you have submitted to eXtension are not "pursley". Pursley is scientifically named "Portulaca oleracea L." and is a member of the Portulacaceae or Purslane Family. Although it is low growing to the ground, pursley has more succulent leaves and stems and has a flower with four or five yellow petals. Pursley is also commonly named "common purslane" and "verdolaga". The plant is a warm season annual that can be found today throughout Texas and is a common lawn and garden weed. It is believed that the plant is a native of the Old World but is classified as a cosmopolitan species today. The pursley can be an aggressive weed, but it has long been cultivated, harvested and eaten as a "potherb", but it is to be eaten with caution as the plant tissue is high in oxalic acid, a chemical that gives the plant a tart taste when eaten by humans. Pursley eaten in large quantities can be toxic to humans.
I hope this information will be of value to you. Thank you for contacting us with your questions through the eXtesnion Ask an Expert system.

Barron S. Rector
Associate Professor and Extension Range Specialist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service