Portulaca grandiflora Hook.

Portulaca species are annual or perennial herbs, stem erect or prostrate, usually woody at the base, branched, main root tuberous, fibrous, fleshy, sometimes rooting at nodes, trichomes on nodes and inflorescence present or absent. Leaves simple, opposite, alternate, or uppermost usually clustered and with trichomes, linear lanceolate-subulate to oblong, base slightly connate, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate, curved or not, petiole subsessile. Inflorescence axillary or terminal clusters or cymes about 2-30 flowered, rarely solitary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, pedicel subsessile or sessile, open only during sunshine, bracts foliaceous or membranous or absent, bracteoles hairy or scarious, sepals 2, obovate-deltoid, base clasping, margins scarious or herbaceous, deciduous or persistent, petals 4-6, free or subconnate at the base, obovate, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute, absent or deciduous in annuals. Stamens 8-9 in one whorl, adnate to petals inserted on calyx, filaments basally connate, anthers 2-4 locular, dorsifixed. Ovary semi inferior, unilocular, ovules 4-many on free central placentation, style 2-8, armed. Fruit capsule, globose-ovoid, papery, dehiscing circumscissile at the middle. Seeds many, reniform-globose, laterally compressed, reddish brown, tuberculate or rarely smooth..

Herb

Portulaca species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary; rarely unisexual. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: Throughout the year.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual or short lived perennial herbs, about 5-30 cm long, stem decumbent or prostrate, usually woody at the base, branched, main root tuberous, fibrous, fleshy, rooting at nodes, trichomes present on nodes and inflorescence. Leaves simple, subopposite or alternate, or uppermost usually clustered and with trichomes, linear subulate, about 13-25 x 1-4 mm across, base slightly connate, margin entire, apex subacute to acute, curved, terete fleshy thick, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence axillary or terminal clusters or capituli, flowering successively, about 2-30 flowered, subtented by 5-8 involucre-like bracts. Flowers bisexual, about 2.5 cm across, pedicel subsessile or sessile, open only during sunshine, bracts foliaceous, bracteoles deltoid, hairy with about 10 mm long hairs, sepals 2, ovate-deltoid, base clasping, margins scarious or herbaceous, apex keeled, about 5-12 mm long, petals 5, many in cultivated varieties, red, pink, blue, indigo, orange, yellow, free or subconnate at the base, obovate, margins entire, apex obtuse, about 10-25 x 6-10 mm across. Stamens 8-9 in one whorl, up to 40-75, adnate to petals inserted on calyx, filaments basally connate, about 2.5-6 mm long, anthers 2-4 locular, dorsifixed. Ovary semi inferior, unilocular, ovules 4-many on free central placentation, style 5 fid, about 8-13 mm long, stigmas 5, linear, about 2.5-3 mm long. Fruit capsule, globose-ovoid, about 5 mm across, papery, dehiscing circumscissile at the middle. Seeds many, reniform-globose, about 6 mm across, laterally compressed, reddish brown, tuberculate.

Portulaca species are susceptible to various insect pests, viruses, root rots, powdery mildews and moulds.

Cultivated in gardens as ornamental in sandy soil, also found as an escape, altitude up to 2000 m.

Sandy soils

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental, also used in folk medicine.