Portulaca oleracea
Portulaca smallii
common purslane, little hogweed, purslane
Small's purslane
prostrate, succulent;
trichomes at nodes and in inflorescence absent or inconspicuous;
branches to 56 cm.
prostrate to suberect, 2–15 cm;
trichomes conspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence.
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 to hemispheric, 4–15 × 0.5–3 mm, apex subacute to subobtuse; involucrelike leaves 7–10(–12).
3–10 mm diam.;
petals yellow, oblong, 3–4.6 × 1.8–3 mm;
stamens 6–12(–20);
stigmas 3–6.
6–12 mm diam.;
petals medium pink to almost white, oblong-elliptic, 3–5 × 1.5 mm, apex acute;
stamens 8–13;
stigmas 4–5.
ovoid, 4–9 mm diam.
subglobose, 2–3.5 mm diam.
black or dark brown, orbiculate or elongate, flattened, 0.6–1.1 mm;
surface cells ± smooth, granular, or stellate, with rounded tubercles.
black or leaden, elongate, flattened, 0.6–0.8 mm;
surface cells stellate, tuberculate.
= 18, 36, 54.
= 18.
Portulaca oleracea
Portulaca smallii
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 smallii has been considered a species of recent origin on granite outcrops. D. J. Cotter and R. B. Platt (1959) suggested that it is derived from P. pilosa, particularly considering the chromosome number of 2n = 16 reported by E. Steiner (1944) equaling that of P. pilosa. J. F. Matthews et al. (1994) examined that population of P. smallii researched by Steiner and found the chromosome number to be 2n = 18. This new determination, along with the lighter petal color, larger seed size, and distinct habitat, separates this species from P. pilosa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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