Portulaca grandiflora

Hooker

Bot. Mag. 56: plate 2885. 1829.

Common names: Moss-rose
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 498. Mentioned on page 496, 497.

Plants annual; roots fibrous. Stems prostrate to suberect; trichomes conspicuous at nodes and in inflorescence; branches to 30 cm. Leaf blades linear to lanceolate, terete to hemispheric, 5–30 × 1–5 mm, apex acute or subacute; involucrelike leaves 8–9(–14). Flowers 25–55 mm diam.; petals pink, red, purple, yellow, bronze, or white, obovate, 15–25 × 15–20 mm; stamens 40 or more; stigmas 5–8. Capsules ovoid, (3.5–)4–6.5 mm diam. Seeds steely gray, often iridescent, orbiculate or elongate, flattened, 0.75–1 mm diam.; surface cells obscurely stellate with tubercles mostly abaxially. 2n = 18.


Phenology: Flowering late spring–fall.
Habitat: Sandy soils
Elevation: 0-2000 m

Distribution

V4 1013-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Ont., Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis., South America, naturalized in Europe.

Discussion

Portulaca grandiflora is naturalized in gardens and has escaped to roadsides and waste places. Studies of seed surfaces from specimens representing 100 years of collections with distribution over the United States show remarkable consistency in seed morphology. Tubercles may extend onto the lateral surface, where they are widely scattered. Only one specimen was found with no tubercles at all.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Portulaca grandiflora"
James F. Matthews +
Hooker +
Moss-rose +
Ont. +, Ala. +, Ariz. +, Ark. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +, South America +  and naturalized in Europe. +
0-2000 m +
Sandy soils +
Flowering late spring–fall. +
Introduced +
Portulaca grandiflora +
Portulaca +
species +