Common purslane plant with green, thick, fleshy, spatula-shaped leaves. The stems are red. The plant's growth is prostrate.

Common purslane – Portulaca oleracea

Portulaca oleracea L.

Portulacaceae (Purslane family)

MI Status

Native

Life cycle

Prostrate, mat-forming summer annual.

Leaves

Cotyledons are oblong, hairless and succulent. Cotyledons and young leaves are maroon-tinted on the undersides. Thick, fleshy, succulent leaves are hairless, spatula-shaped and about 1 inch long or less. Leaves are alternate but appear opposite and are often crowded near the stem tips.

Stems

Prostrate, purplish red or green stems have multiple branches that form circular mats. Stems are thick, fleshy, succulent and hairless and up to 20 inches long.

Flowers and fruit

Small, yellow, star-shaped flowers with five petals are produced in the leaf axils, opening only on sunny mornings. Fruit are egg-shaped capsules that split around the middle, scattering many tiny, black, shiny seeds.

Reproduction

Seeds.

Common purslane plant with green, thick, fleshy, spatula-shaped leaves. The stems are red. The plant's growth is prostrate.
Common purslane plant
Photo is of common purslane fruit. It is an egg-shaped capsule.
Common purslane fruit
The photo is of a common purslane flower. They are yellow and star-shaped. They have 5 petals that are produced in the leaf axils.
Common purslane flower
Common purslane seedling with cotyledons that are oblong, hairless, and succulent.
Common purslane seedling

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  • msu plant & pest diagnostics,
  • summer annual

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