Portulaca halimoides
Portulaca rubricaulis
desert portulaca, purslane, silkcotton purslane
redstem purslane
prostrate to suberect, often pinkish, succulent;
trichomes conspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence;
branches to 3–20(–25) cm.
erect or suberect, fleshy, succulent;
trichomes inconspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence;
branches 5–35 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, 5–15 × 1–3(–5) mm, apex acute; involucrelike leaves (3–)5–8.
3–8 mm diam.;
petals yellow, obovate, 2–4 × 1–2.5 mm;
stamens 4–18;
stigmas 3–4(–5).
9–15 mm diam.;
petals yellow, obovate to oval-obovate, 5–8 × 2–5 mm, apex rounded;
stamens 12–30;
stigmas 5–7.
ovoid, 1.1–2 mm diam.
subglobose, 3.3–5.5 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.
brownish red, dark brown, or rarely black, orbiculate or elongate, flattened, 0.6–0.65 mm;
surface cells slightly raised, obscurely stellate, sometimes granular, tubercles absent.
= 18.
= 16.
Portulaca halimoides
Portulaca rubricaulis
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 rubricaulis traditionally has been treated as P. phaeosperma (J. K. Small 1933). C. D. Legrand (1962) and R. P. Wunderlin (1982) consider the types of P. phaeosperma and P. rubricaulis to be conspecific. Only the yellow-flowered form has been seen in the United States; Legrand reported a salmon or orange-red to red form from the Caribbean.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
