Home Weed ID Publications Dictionary Links FAQs Login About us		Plant Description: Name: common purslane Scientific Name: Portulaca oleracea Family: Portulacaceae Type: Broadleaf Lifecycle: Summer Annual Habit: Common purslane is an annual that grows rapidly in spring and summer. It thrives under dry conditions but also competes well in irrigated situations. Plants prefer loose, nutrient-rich, sandy soil. Leaves: Leaves are very succulent, often tinged red, and wedge-shaped. They are opposite or alternate along the stem and are without petioles. Leaf Arrangement: Alternate Characteristics: Leaves and stems of this plant are hairless, thick, fleshy and very succulent. Stems are reddish-brown and round. Flower Seed Head: Small yellow flowers are born singly or in clusters of two or three in stem axils or at tips of stems. Flowers usually open only on sunny mornings. Purslane seeds are very tiny and produced in abundance. Seed Fruit: The fruit is an oval, many-seeded capsule (4-8 mm long by 3-5 mm wide) that splits open around the middle. Where Found: It has been cultivated in India and the Middle East and has been popular in Europe since the Middle Ages. In the United States, common purslane is a minor crop because of its use in ethnic cooking and its reputed health benefits. Control Options Related Plants Terms and Definitions Additional Images:
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