Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Silk-Cotton Purslane, Silkcotton Purslane, Sinkerleaf Purslane
Description
Family Portulacaceae
Herbs annual
or perennial
, rarely ± shrubby, usually succulent, usually glabrous
except for nodal
hairs
and/or scales
. Leaves alternate or opposite; true stipules absent, nodes sometimes with axillary scales
and/or hairs; petiole
usually poorly defined or absent; leaf blade
simple
, usually fleshy
, margin
entire. Inflorescences usually terminal
, less often axillary
, in cymes or racemelike panicles, forming heads
of sessile flowers surrounded by an involucre of leaves, or reduced to solitary flowers. Bracts inconspicuous. Flowers bisexual
, very rarely unisexual
, actinomorphic
. Sepals 2, free
or basally connate
, herbaceous or scarious
. Petals 4-6 or seldom more, distinct
or basally connate, imbricate, often brightly colored
, usually short lived. Disk usually absent. Stamens 4-100, free, fascicled, or adnate
to petals; filaments
linear
; anthers
2-loculed, introrse
, dehiscence longitudinal
. Ovary superior or half-inferior, 1-loculed, 2-5-carpellate; ovules 1 to many, campylotropous; placentation basal or free-central
. Style linear; stigma 2-9-lobed. Fruit a thin-walled capsule, circumscissile or 2- or 3-valved, rarely a nut, often globose
or subglobose, smooth
. Seeds many, reniform
or globose, caruncle present or not; endosperm mostly copious
, surrounded by embryo.
About 19 genera and 500 species: mainly in more arid
regions of S hemisphere, especially Africa, South America, and Australia, fewer species in Asia, Europe, and North America; two genera (one introduced
) and six species (two endemic, two introduced) in China.[1]
Genus Portulaca
Herbs, annual
(perennial
in P. suffrutescens). Roots tuberous
, fleshy
, fibrous
, or small taproots
. Stems erect
to prostrate
, branched, fleshy or suffrutescent
; trichomes
in inflorescence or stem nodes absent or present, glabrous
otherwise. Leaves alternate or subopposite, congested
and involucrelike immediately proximal
to inflorescence; blade
terete
, subterete, or flattened. Inflorescences terminal
in clusters
, or axillary
on short branches. Flowers sessile or subsessile
, usually open only in sunshine; sepals broadly clasping
at base
, herbaceous to scarious
, falling from top of capsule; petals ephemeral
, 5-7, usually distinct
, margins
usually entire; stamens (4-) 6-40(-100) ; ovary half inferior to inferior, plurilocular proximally to 1-locular distally, placentation free-central
; style 1, short, stigmas 3-8(-18). Capsules membranaceous
, chartaceous
, dehiscence circumscissile. Seeds many, brown to black or gray, reniform
to cochleate; seed coat
smooth
or variously sculptured
, granular
to stellate-tuberculate or spiny
. x = 4, 5, 8, 9.
Species 100-125: nearly worldwide, primarily tropical
and subtropical
, also temperate
.[2]
Physical Description
Species Portulaca halimoides
Plants annual
; roots
fibrous
. Stems prostrate
to suberect,
often pinkish, succulent; trichomes
conspicuous
at nodes and in inflorescence;
branches to 3-20(-25) cm. Leaf blades linear
to oblong-linear,
terete
to hemis-pheric, 2-14(-20) × 0.4-2(-3) mm, apex obtuse
to acute; involucrelike leaves 4-8. Flowers 3-8 mm diam.;
petals yellow, obovate
, 2-4 × 1-2.5 mm; stamens 4-18; stigmas
3-4(-5). Capsules ovoid
, 1.1-2 mm diam. Seeds 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. 2n
= 18. [source]
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. [source]
Habit: Forb/herb
Flowers: Bloom Period: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October.
Habitat
Dry soil, sand dunes, arroyos ; 900-2300 m [3].
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,495 meters (0 to 8,186 feet).[4]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Annual
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Caryophyllidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Caryophyllanae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Caryophyllales
()
- Perleb, 1826
- Suborder:
Portulacineae
()
- Family:
Portulacaceae
()
- Adanson, 1763 ex A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- pourpiers, purslane
- Genus:
Portulaca
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- Purslane [Latin portula, little door, in reference to the lid of the capsule]
- Specific epithet:
halimoides
- L.
- Botanical name: - Portulaca halimoides L.
- Specific epithet:
halimoides
- L.
- Genus:
Portulaca
(
- Family:
Portulacaceae
(
- Suborder:
Portulacineae
(
- Order:
Caryophyllales
(
- Superorder:
Caryophyllanae
(
- Subclass:
Caryophyllidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Portulaca parvula A. Gray
Notes
Publishing author : L. Publication : Sp. Pl., ed. 2. 1: 639 1762 [Sep 1762]
Similar Species
Members of the genus Portulaca
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 64 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
P. afra variegata (Elephant Bush) · P. amilis (Paraguayan Purslane) · P. biloba (Cuban Purslane) · P. caulerpoides (Puerto Rico Purslane) · P. fruticosa (Verdolaga-Francesa) · P. grandiflora (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Duet Candy Stripe' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Duet Golden Sunrise' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Duet Rose Improved' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Duet Yellow' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Giant Bicolor Radiance' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Giant Pink Radiance' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Margarita Mix' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Margarita Orange' (Margarita Orange Portulaca) · P. grandiflora 'Margarita Rosita' (Margarita Rosita Portulaca) · P. grandiflora 'Margarita Scarlet' (Margarita Scarlet Portulaca) · P. grandiflora 'Rouge Rubis' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Sundial Mango' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Sundial Mix' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Rose With Red Eye' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Apricot' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Light Pink' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Orange' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Pink' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Rose' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Rose With Red Eye' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Scarlet' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy White' (Moss Rose) · P. grandiflora 'Yubi Summer Joy Wine Red' (Moss Rose) · P. halimoides (Silk-Cotton Purslane) · P. lanceolata umbraticola (Wingpod Purslane) · P. lutea (Native Yellow Purslane) · P. molokiniensis ('ihi) · P. oleracea oleracea (Akulikuli-Kula) · P. oleracea var. sativa (Kitchen-Garden Purslane) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Gold' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Lemon Yellow' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Orange' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Pink' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Purple and Yellow' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Rose' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi Sunset Red' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Double Yubi White' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Goldberg' (Little Hogweed) · P. oleracea 'Yubi Yellow' (Little Hogweed) · P. pilosa (Chisme) · P. quadrifida (Chickenweed) · P. rubricaulis (Redstem Purslane) · P. sativa (Golden Purslane) · P. sativa 'Goldgelber' (Golden Purslane) · P. sclerocarpa ('ihi Makole) · P. smallii (Small's Purslane) · P. suffrutescens (Shrubby Purslane) · P. teretifolia (Roundleaf Purslane) · P. triangularis (Verdolaga-Francesa) · P. umbraticola (Wing-Pod Purslane) · P. umbraticola subsp. coronata (Wingpod Purslane) · P. villosa (Hairy Purslane) · P. 'Fairytale Cinderella' (Double Portulaca) · P. 'Fairytale Sleeping Beauty' (Double Portulaca) · P. 'Fairytale Snow White' (Double Portulaca) · P. 'Giant Jewel' (Portulaca) · P. 'Sunnyside Mix' (Portulaca) · P. 'Tequila Fuchsia' (Moss Rose)
More Info
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Further Reading
- A naturalist in the Bahamas: John I. Northrop, October 12 1861 - June 25, 1891; a memorial volume, ed., with a biographical introduction by Henry Fairfield Osborn. New York, The Columbia university press[c1910] url p. 153, p. 197.
- A provisional list of the indigenous and naturalized flowering plants of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica, Aston W. Gardner & Co., 1893. url .
- Britton, N. L. (ed.). North American flora. [New York]New York Botanical Garden. url p. 330, p. 333.
- Bulletin - United States National Museum. 1879 Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url p. 129.
- Contribution [I]-III to the coastal and plain flora of Yucatan, by Charles Frederick Millspaugh. 1 1896 Chicago, 1895-1898. url p. 296, p. xv.
- Contributions to North American ichthyology. Based primarily on the collections of the United States National Museum. Washington: Govt. print. off., 1877-78. url p. 129.
- Dedication papers: scientific papers presented at the dedication of the laboratory building and plant houses, April 19-21, 1917. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1918. url p. 46.
- Don, G. A general history of the dichlamydeous plants: comprising complete descriptions of the different orders...the whole arranged according to the natural system /by George Don. 3 1834 London: J.G. and F. Rivington, 1831-1838. url p. 74.
- Flora of Jamaica, containing descriptions of the flowering plants known from the island, by William Fawcett and Alfred Barton Rendle. London.Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum, 1910- url p. 168, p. 168.
- Flora of Yucatan, by Paul C. Standley. 3 1930 Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, 1930. url p. 263.
- Flora of the Southern United States: containing an abridged description of the flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida: arranged according to the natural system. New York, Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co., [c1883] url .
- Flora of the southeastern United States; being descriptions of the seed-plants, ferns and fern-allies growing naturally in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and in Oklahom by John Kunkel Small. New York, The author, 1913. url p. 1335, p. 415, p. 416.
- Flora of the southern United States, containing an abridged description of the flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida; arranged according to the natural system by A.W. Chapman. New York, American Book Company[1897] url p. 607.
- Grisebach, A. H. R. Flora of the British West Indian islands /by A.H.R. Grisebach. [1859]-18 London, L. Reeve, 1864. url p. 57.
- Memoirs / Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Garden, 1918-1936. url p. 46.
- Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. 12 1902-1907 Durham, N.C.: Published for the Club by the Seeman Printery, 1889- url p. 36.
- Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 88.
- Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 1992 [San Diego, Calif.]: San Diego Society of Natural History, 1990- url p. 31.
- Small, J. K. Flora of the southeastern United States;being descriptions of the seed-plants, ferns and fern-allies growing naturally in North Carolina, South Carolin, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and the Indian territory and in Oklahoma and Texas east of the one-hundredth meridian /by John Kunkel Small. .. 1903 New York: The author, 1903. url p. 415, p. 416.
- Synoptical flora of North America. New York, American Book Company, 1878-1895/97 [v.2, pt. 1, 1878] url p. 264.
- The Bahama Islands / edited by George Burbank Shattuck. New York: Macmillan, 1905. url p. 253.
- The Bahama Islands, London, The Macmillan company, 1905. url p. 253, p. 253.
- The Bahama flora, New York, The Authors, 1920. url .
- The Bahama flora, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Charles Frederick Millspaugh. New York, The authors, 1920. url p. 138, p. 138, p. 138.
- The flora of St. Croix and the Virgin Islands, by Baron H.F.A. Eggers. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1879. url p. 129.
- The flora of the American Virgin Islands / N.L. Britton. New York: New York Botanical Garden, 1918. url p. 46.
- The flora of the Dutch West Indian islands. .. by I. Boldingh. Leyden, E. J. Brill, 1909-14. url p. 160, p. 172, p. 188, p. 29.
- Lu Dequan. 1996. Portulacaceae. In: Tang Changlin, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 26: 3642.
- Legrand, C. D. 1962. Las especies Americanas de Portulaca. Anales Mus. Hist. Nat. Montevideo, ser. 2, 7: 1-147.
- Matthews, J. F. and P. A. Levins. 1985. The genus Portulaca in the southeastern United States. Castanea 50: 96-104.
- Walters, S. M. 1964. Portulaca. In: T. G. Tutin et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora Europaea. 5 vols. Cambridge. Vol. 1, p. 114.
- Wilson, P. 1932b. Portulaca. In: N. L. Britton et al., eds. 1905+. North American Flora.... 47+ vols. New York. Vol. 21, pp 328-336.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 15, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 27, 2007:
- Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, The Deaver Herbarium, Northern Arizona University
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2646685
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-20431
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13739479
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:699216-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 20431
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 316353-2
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: POPA12
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 57812
Footnotes
- Dequan Lu & Michael G. Gilbert "Portulacaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 442. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- James F. Matthews "Portulaca". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 457, 458, 496. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Portulaca halimoides". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 496, 497, 499. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 886.100 meters (2,907.152 feet), Standard Deviation = 749.890 based on 83 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
