Portulaca oleracea
Portulaca biloba
common purslane, little hogweed, purslane
Cuban purslane
prostrate, succulent;
trichomes at nodes and in inflorescence absent or inconspicuous;
branches to 56 cm.
prostrate to suberect, somewhat woody toward base;
trichomes sparse at nodes, sparse to moderate in inflorescence;
branches to 25 cm.
blades obovate or spatulate, flattened, 4–28 × 2–13 mm, apex round to retuse or nearly truncate; involucrelike leaves 1–4.
blades linear to lanceolate, terete, 6–14 × 0.5–3 mm, apex obtuse; involucrelike leaves 5–7.
3–10 mm diam.;
petals yellow, oblong, 3–4.6 × 1.8–3 mm;
stamens 6–12(–20);
stigmas 3–6.
20–25 mm diam.;
petals connate basally, purple-red, narrowly obovate-cuneate, 10–12 × 6–9 mm, apex deeply 2-lobed;
stamens 40 or more;
stigmas 4–6(–7).
ovoid, 4–9 mm diam.
subglobose, 2.5–5 mm diam.
black or dark brown, orbiculate or elongate, flattened, 0.6–1.1 mm;
surface cells ± smooth, granular, or stellate, with rounded tubercles.
gray, 0.7–0.8 mm diam.;
surface cells mostly stellate, tuberculate.
= 18, 36, 54.
= 18.
Portulaca oleracea
Portulaca biloba
A. P. Simopoulos and N. Salem Jr. (1986) and A. P. Simopoulos et al. (1992) have shown Portulaca oleracea to have the highest content of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants of any green leafy vegetable examined to date, suggesting that common purslane should be considered for its nutritional value and not for its weediness. It has long been used as fodder and may have been present in the New World in pre-Columbian times (R. Byrne and J. H. McAndrews 1975). Currently, it is fed to poultry to reduce egg cholesterol.
Portulaca oleracea is a highly variable species with worldwide distribution in temperate to warm regions and is the most winter-hardy of all the portulacas. It is a very aggressive weed, one of the ten most noxious weeds worldwide (J. S. Singh and K. P. Singh 1967). As such, many variants have been named (C. D. Legrand 1962) based on seed surface differences, size of seeds, or on variable characters of growth habit, leaf length, and number of stamens. Seven subspecies were recognized by A. Danin et al. (1978): subsp. oleracea, subsp. impolita Danin & H. G. Baker, subsp. granulatostellulata Danin & H. G. Baker, subsp. nicaraguensis Danin & H. G. Baker, subsp. nitida Danin & H. G. Baker, subsp. papillatostellulata Danin & H. G. Baker, and subsp. stellata Danin & H. G. Baker.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Portulaca biloba, previously known only from Cuba, is presently known from five sites in three Georgia counties. The infrequency of chasmogamous flowers suggests that it is “out of habitat.” The earliest collection is from 1965, but the date of its first introduction to the United States is unknown. One theory of introduction suggests seeds brought in by tropical storms (J. F. Matthews et al. 1991).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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