Portulaca halimoides
Portulaca grandiflora
desert portulaca, purslane, silkcotton purslane
cultivated purslane, moss-rose, rock rose, rose moss
prostrate to suberect, often pinkish, succulent;
trichomes conspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence;
branches to 3–20(–25) cm.
prostrate to suberect;
trichomes conspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence;
branches to 30 cm.
blades linear to oblong-linear, terete to hemispheric, 2–14(–20) × 0.4–2(–3) mm, apex obtuse to acute; involucrelike leaves 4–8.
blades linear to lanceolate, terete to hemispheric, 5–30 × 1–5 mm, apex acute or subacute; involucrelike leaves 8–9(–14).
3–8 mm diam.;
petals yellow, obovate, 2–4 × 1–2.5 mm;
stamens 4–18;
stigmas 3–4(–5).
25–55 mm diam.;
petals pink, red, purple, yellow, bronze, or white, obovate, 15–25 × 15–20 mm;
stamens 40 or more;
stigmas 5–8.
ovoid, 1.1–2 mm diam.
ovoid, (3.5–)4–6.5 mm diam.
gray or leaden, 0.3–0.5(–0.6) mm diam.;
lateral surfaces with densely arranged, flattened, stellate cells, tubercles absent; usually with a smooth, occasionally papillose, spine abaxially.
steely gray, often iridescent, orbiculate or elongate, flattened, 0.75–1 mm diam.;
surface cells obscurely stellate with tubercles mostly abaxially.
= 18.
= 18.
Portulaca halimoides
Portulaca grandiflora
Young plants of Portulaca halimoides in desert areas may exhibit reddish stems and sepals. As the yellow petals fade, the persistent, reddish sepals cover the top of the capsule, giving the false impression of red flowers. Immature seeds are reddish brown to brownish black and may be papillose. Morphologic variability occurs in relation to habitat differences over the range of this species. Desert conditions produce depauperate plants; more robust specimens occur in Central America and South America. The type of P. halimoides is conspecific with P. parvula A. Gray within this context. A. Gray (1887) cited P. halimoides from the Florida Keys; that is unconfirmed and is likely a confusion with P. rubricaulis.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Portulaca grandiflora is naturalized in gardens and has escaped to roadsides and waste places. Studies of seed surfaces from specimens representing 100 years of collections with distribution over the United States show remarkable consistency in seed morphology. Tubercles may extend onto the lateral surface, where they are widely scattered. Only one specimen was found with no tubercles at all.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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