Portulaca halimoides
Portulaca umbraticola
desert portulaca, purslane, silkcotton purslane
wing-pod purslane
prostrate to suberect, often pinkish, succulent;
trichomes conspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence;
branches to 3–20(–25) cm.
prostrate to suberect;
trichomes sparse at nodes and in inflorescence, stems otherwise glabrous;
branches 5–20 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 obovate, spatulate, or sometimes lanceolata, flattened, 10–35 × 2–15 mm, apex rounded to truncate; involucrelike leaves 4–5.
3–8 mm diam.;
petals yellow, obovate, 2–4 × 1–2.5 mm;
stamens 4–18;
stigmas 3–4(–5).
8–15 mm diam.;
petals yellow or yellow tipped with red or copper, spatulate or obovate, 5–10 × 3–6 mm, apex acute or cuspidate;
stamens 7–30;
stigmas (3–)5–18.
ovoid, 1.1–2 mm diam.
obovoid or turbinate, 3–5 mm diam., with encircling, expanded, membranaceous wing 0.5–1.5 mm wide proximal to suture.
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.
gray, round or elongate, flattened, 0.5–1 mm;
surface cells stellate with long tubercles.
= 18.
Portulaca halimoides
Portulaca umbraticola
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.)
Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora).
Portulaca umbraticola is a common weedy species of the southwestern United States, while in the southeastern United States it is usually restricted to sandy soils of granitic and sandstone outcrops. In 1982–1983, a new cultivar was introduced to the United States in hanging baskets, under the name Portulaca umbraticola ‘Wildfire Mixed,’ which appears to be selected from material from South America. There is no seed surface variability in any of the three subspecies.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Petals entirely yellow | subsp. coronata |
1. Petals yellow tipped with red (copper) | subsp. lanceolata |
CA
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