Portulaca ( , , ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Portulacaceae, and is the type genus of the family. With over 100 species, it is found generally in the tropics and warm temperate regions. Portulacas are also known as the purslanes.
Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is widely consumed as an edible plant, and in some areas it is considered invasive. Portulaca grandiflora is a well-known ornamental garden plant. Purslanes are relished by chickens. Some Portulaca species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the nutmeg moth (Hadula trifolii).
Some Portulaca species can undergo photosynthesis using the C4 or the CAM light-independent pathway as required depending on environmental conditions.
Species
The following species are accepted:
Portulaca africana (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin – Western Africa to south China Portulaca almeviae Ocampo – Mexico Portulaca amilis Speg. – Paraguayan purslane – Peru to Brazil and N. Argentina Portulaca anceps A.Rich. – Ethiopia Portulaca argentinensis Speg. – Argentina Portulaca aurantiaca Proctor – Jamaica Portulaca australis Endl. – N. & NE. Australia to W. Central Pacific Portulaca badamica S.R.Yadav & Dalavi – India Portulaca bicolor F.Muell. – Australian pigweed – Australia Portulaca biloba Urb. – Cuban purslane – Cuba Portulaca brevifolia Urb. – Cuba to Haiti, NW. Venezuela Portulaca bulbifera M.G.Gilbert – Ethiopia, Kenya Portulaca californica D.Legrand – Mexico Portulaca canariensis Danin & Reyes-Bet. – Canary Islands Portulaca cardenasiana D.Legrand – Puerto Rican purslane – Bolivia Portulaca caulerpoides Britton & P.Wilson – Puerto Rico Portulaca centrali-africana R.E.Fr. – E. DR Congo to NW. Tanzania Portulaca chacoana D.Legrand – Paraguay to NE. Argentina Portulaca ciferrii Chiov. – S. Somalia to SE. Kenya Portulaca clavigera R.Geesink – Western Australia Portulaca colombiana D.Legrand – Colombia to Venezuela Portulaca commutata M.G.Gilbert – S. Ethiopia to N. Tanzania Portulaca confertifolia Hauman – Argentina Portulaca conoidea S.M.Phillips – Kenya Portulaca constricta M.G.Gilbert – Ethiopia, Somalia Portulaca conzattii P.Wilson – Mexico to Central America Portulaca coralloides S.M.Phillips – Kenya Portulaca cryptopetala Speg. – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay Portulaca cubensis Britton & P.Wilson – Cuba Portulaca cyclophylla F.Muell. – Western Australia Portulaca cypria Danin – Mediterranean Portulaca daninii Galasso, Banfi & Soldano – Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Suriname Portulaca decipiens Poelln. – Australia Portulaca decorticans M.G.Gilbert – Kenya, Somalia Portulaca dhofarica M.G.Gilbert – Oman Portulaca diegoi Mattos – Brazil Portulaca digyna F.Muell. – Australia Portulaca dodomaensis M.G.Gilbert – Tanzania Portulaca echinosperma Hauman – Argentina Portulaca edulis Danin & Bagella – Cyprus Portulaca elatior Mart. ex Rohrb. – Caribbean to S. Tropical America Portulaca elongata Rusby – Argentina, Bolivia, Peru Portulaca eruca Hauman – Argentina, Paraguay Portulaca erythraeae Schweinf. – Eritrea, Sudan Portulaca fascicularis Peter – Kenya, Tanzania Portulaca filifolia F.Muell. – Australia Portulaca filsonii J.H.Willis – Australia Portulaca fischeri Pax – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Portulaca fluvialis D.Legrand – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay Portulaca foliosa Ker Gawl. – Tropical & S. Africa, Arabian Peninsula Portulaca fragilis Poelln. – Bolivia Portulaca frieseana Poelln. – Brazil Portulaca fulgens Griseb. – Argentina Portulaca gilliesii Hook. – Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay Portulaca giuliettiae T.Vieira & A.A.Coelho – Brazil Portulaca goiasensis T.Vieira & A.A.Coelho – Brazil Portulaca gracilis Poelln. – Bolivia Portulaca grandiflora Hook. – moss-rose purslane – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay Portulaca grandis Peter – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Portulaca granulatostellulata (Poelln.) Ricceri & Arrigoni – W. Europe to Caucasus; N. Africa to W. Indian ocean Portulaca greenwayi M.G.Gilbert – Kenya Portulaca guanajuatensis Ocampo – Mexico Portulaca halimoides L. – silkcotton purslane – Central & S. U.S. to Tropical America Portulaca hatschbachii D.Legrand – Brazil Portulaca hereroensis Schinz – Tanzania to S. Africa Portulaca heterophylla Peter – Tanzania Portulaca hirsutissima Cambess. – Brazil Portulaca hoehnei D.Legrand – Brazil Portulaca howellii (D.Legrand) Eliasson – Galápagos Portulaca humilis Peter – Tanzania Portulaca impolita (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin – U.S. Portulaca insignis Steyerm. – Venezuela Portulaca intraterranea J.M.Black – Australia Portulaca johnstonii Henrickson – Mexico Portulaca juliomartinezii Ocampo – Mexico Portulaca kermesina N.E.Br. – Eritrea to S. Africa, Arabian Peninsula Portulaca kuriensis M.G.Gilbert – Socotra Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana S.R.Yadav & Dalavi – India Portulaca lutea Sol. ex G.Forst. – yellow purslane – Pacific Portulaca macbridei D.Legrand – Peru Portulaca macrantha Ricceri & Arrigoni – Canary Islands, Morocco Portulaca macrorhiza R.Geesink – Lesser Sunda Islands Portulaca macrosperma D.Legrand – Bolivia Portulaca masonii D.Legrand – Mexico Portulaca massaica S.M.Phillips – Kenya, Tanzania Portulaca matthewsii Ocampo – Mexico Portulaca mauritiensis Poelln. – Chagos Archipelago, Mascarenes Portulaca mexicana P.Wilson – Mexico Portulaca meyeri D.Legrand – Argentina Portulaca minensis D.Legrand – Brazil Portulaca minuta Correll – Florida, Bahamas Portulaca molokiniensis Hobdy – Hawaiian Islands Portulaca monanthoides Lodé – Socotra Portulaca mucronata Link – Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela Portulaca mucronulata D.Legrand – Argentina, Brazil Portulaca nicaraguensis (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin – Florida, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Texas Portulaca nitida (Danin & H.G.Baker) Ricceri & Arrigoni – Europe to Central Asia, N. Africa Portulaca nivea Poelln. – Peru Portulaca nogalensis Chiov. – Somalia Portulaca oblonga Peter – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania Portulaca obtusa Poelln. – Argentina Portulaca obtusifolia D.Legrand – Argentina Portulaca okinawensis E.Walker & Tawada – Ryukyu Islands Portulaca oleracea L. – common purslane, pigweed – Macaronesia, Tropical Africa, Mediterranean into India Portulaca oligosperma F.Muell. – Australia Portulaca olosirwa S.M.Phillips – Kenya Portulaca papillatostellulata (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin – Europe to Mediterranean Portulaca papulifera D.Legrand – Argentina Portulaca papulosa Schltdl. – Argentina, Uruguay Portulaca paucistaminata Poelln. – Cuba Portulaca perennis R.E.Fr. – Argentina, Bolivia, Peru Portulaca peteri Poelln. – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania Portulaca philippii I.M.Johnst. – Bolivia, Chile Portulaca pilosa L. – shaggy purslane – Hawaiian Islands, southern U.S.A. to Tropical & Subtropical S.America Portulaca psammotropha Hance – Southern China to Philippines Portulaca pusilla Kunth – Colombia, Venezuela Portulaca pygmaea Steyerm. – Colombia, Venezuela Portulaca quadrifida L. – chickenweed purslane – Tropical & Subtropical Old World to SW. Pacific Portulaca ragonesei D.Legrand – Argentina Portulaca ramosa Peter – Tanzania Portulaca rausii Danin – Mediterranean Portulaca rhodesiana R.A.Dyer & E.A.Bruce – South Africa, Zimbabwe Portulaca rotundifolia R.E.Fr. – Argentina, Bolivia Portulaca rubricaulis Kunth – redstem purslane – SE. Mexico, Florida to Caribbean, Venezuela to Ecuador Portulaca rzedowskiana Ocampo – showy flowers, native to high elevations of central Mexico https://www.jstor.org/stable/41968056 Portulaca samhaensis A.G.Mill. – Socotra Portulaca samoensis Poelln. – New Guinea to SW. Pacific Portulaca sanctae-martae Poelln. – Colombia Portulaca sardoa Danin, Bagella & Marrosu – Corsica, Sardinia Portulaca saxifragoides Welw. ex Oliv. – Angola Portulaca sclerocarpa A.Gray – Ihi makole – Hawaiian Islands Portulaca sedifolia N.E.Br. – French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela Portulaca sedoides Welw. ex Oliv. – Angola Portulaca sicula Danin, Domina & Raimondo – Sicilia Portulaca smallii P.Wilson – Small's purslane – Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Portulaca socotrana Domina & Raimondo – Socotra Portulaca somalica N.E.Br. – Somalia Portulaca stellulatotuberculata Poelln. – Paraguay Portulaca stuhlmannii Poelln. – Tanzania Portulaca suffrutescens Engelm. – shrubby purslane – Arizona, Mexico, New Mexico, Texas Portulaca suffruticosa Wight – India, Sri Lanka Portulaca sundaensis Poelln. – Lesser Sunda Islands Portulaca thellusonii Lindl. – Brazil Portulaca tingoensis J.F.Macbr. – Argentina, Peru Portulaca trianthemoides Bremek. – Limpopo Portulaca trituberculata Danin, Domina & Raimondo – Canary Islands, E. Central Europe to Mediterranean Portulaca tuberculata León – Cuba, Cayman Islands Portulaca tuberosa Roxb. – Indian subcontinent to N. Australia Portulaca umbraticola Kunth – wingpod purslane – Mexico to Tropical America Portulaca werdermannii Poelln. – Brazil Portulaca wightiana Wall. ex Wight & Arn. – South Africa to Ethiopia, India, Sri Lanka Portulaca yecorensis Henrickson & T.Van Devender – Mexico Portulaca zaffranii Danin – Mediterranean
Formerly placed here Anacampseros arachnoides (Haw.) Sims (as P. arachnoides Haw.) Anacampseros filamentosa subsp. filamentosa (as P. filamentosa Haw.) Anacampseros lanceolata subsp. lanceolata (as P. lanceolata Haw.) Anacampseros rufescens (Haw.) Sweet (as P. rufescens Haw.) Anacampseros telephiastrum DC. (as P. anacampseros L.) Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. (as P. portulacastrum L.) Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss. (as P. fruticosa L. or P. triangularis Jacq.) Talinum paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn. (as P. paniculata Jacq. or P. patens L.)
Gallery
References