what is this?

Can anyone identify this volunteer in my front yard? Could it be a portulaca?

It is pursalane. Spelling may be wrong.

The leaves look like purslane, which is a cousin, but my local nursery is selling plants like this one and calling them portulaca.

I highly suggest you plant it in a pot because I found out the hard way. Planted a pretty yellow one in my flowerbed and it became invasive. I don't recall what I did with it but seemed like I planted it in a pot or put it in yard waste that gets picked up twice a week, if you call for pickup.

Purslane is Portulaca. The ornamental kind (in photo) is Portulaca oleracea, refined and bred for larger flowers than the original "pigweed" or purslane. Edited because I should have added that so called "Moss Rose" is Portulaca grandiflora.

This message was edited May 30, 2012 4:05 PM

Does anyone know if Portulaca oleracea, grown and sold at a local nursery, is invasive? I bought two-came without tags- and have them in a very large mixed pot with sweet potato vine and a dwarf canna that is coming up through the Portulaca oleracea. The pot is on the driveway but near grass, and I don't want to be sorry next year and have to be picking seedlings out of the lawn!

Linda

Thanks for the responses. I decided to let it be where it was. I have read that it can be invasive but I didn't expect it to be difficult to control. It's a pretty flower and the foliage is edible. It does indeed reseed, it returned this year, but in only one place. And it is very easy to remove if you don't want it. So as of now I am willing to let it stay.

Yes, it is a pretty flower but I am seeing it always in pots at the nurseries/garden centers probably because it is so invasive. I will never plant it in my flowerbeds again, only in a flower pot. I would consider it definately in the succulent family.. Easy peasy to grow!

Well I said it came back in 1 place. Make that 3 places. If it grows in a pot won't it still reseed elsewhere? I've never purchased the plant so it came to me from someone else's yard. I pulled up a couple of them.

I only had 4 plants show up this year. I filled a container with pink and they look great. I am in the garden doing a walk through just about every day so if it is growing somewhere I do not want it I just dig it up. Being retired and old helps.



This message was edited Aug 26, 2012 9:45 PM

I'm right there with you.