Portulaca pilosa L.
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Authority
Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.
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Family
Portulacaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Frequent in dry soil at lower elevations in Porto Rico, sometimes carpeting the ground, this low, fleshy, herbaceous plant is distributed nearly throughout tropical America, ranging north into Florida, its small, purple or crimson flowers attractive. No Spanish name has been recorded. Portulaca (Latin, in allusion to the purging qualities of some of the species) was established as a genus by Linnaeus, accepted by him from writings of his predecessors, and consists of over 30 species of succulent, or fleshy herbs, mostly American. They have alternate, or opposite leaves and solitary or clustered, regular and perfect flowers at the ends of the branches. There are only 2 sepals, united at the base, and partly attached to the ovary; the usually 5, (4 to 8) petals wither, or sometimes fall away soon after the flowers open, and there are several or many stamens, with slender filaments; the 1-celled ovary contains many ovules, and the style is deeply cleft or parted into several segments. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule, which opens horizontally by a lid, which falls away and releases the numerous seeds; these differ in color, size and markings in the different species. Portulaca pilosa (long-hairy) is prostrate, or ascending, from 10 to 30 centimeters long, with tufts of long, brown, or whitish hairs in the leaf-axils. The nearly cylindric, pointed leaves are alternate, from 8 to 16 millimeters long, about 3 millimeters thick, or less. The flowers are encircled by brown or white hairs; the narrowly oblong, blunt sepals are 2 or 3 millimeters long, the purple, or red petals are from 3 to 6 millimeters long, and there are 15, or more stamens with crimson filaments; the style is 5-parted, or 6-parted. The nearly globular capsule, 3 or 4 millimeters in diameter, opens horizontally near the middle; the black, minutely tubercled seeds from 0.4 to 0.5 millimeters in diameter. There are 7 species of Portulaca in the Porto Rico Flora; of these, 2 others are illustrated in this work.
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Discussion
Hairy Purple or Crimson portulaca Purslane Family Portulaca pilosa Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 445. 1753.