Portulaca Species, Pigweed, Purslane, Little Hogweed, Wild Portulaca

On Jul 25, 2015, Rickwebb from Downingtown, PA wrote:

The Common Purslane is a common, widespread succulent annual weed in gardens. It does not have conspicuous flowers. It originally came from Europe. Mexicans and some others love to fry it, and it tastes sort of like spinach. I've eaten the foliage raw and it does taste like spinach. In the Philadelphia area, people call the Moss Rose, Portulca grandiflora, by it scientific generic name of Potulaca, so there is confusion. They even pronounce the name correctly as in Latin (or Spanish). I pull this little weed out of the ground all the time once warm summer has come.

On Feb 7, 2013, Menk from Darling Downs,
Australia wrote:

Most of the photos posted under this name are garden cultivars of P. umbraticola. There is nothing "anonymous" about them. Also they are technically not true hybrids in the sense that they resulted from the crossing of different species. Only one species with a broad natural distribution was ever involved. They are produced by way of intra-varietal hybridization and from then on are continued vegetatively from cuttings. In this sense they are essentially cultivars of a species.

The correct naming of the cultivar is prescribed by the Rules and Recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. In this case the correct name is Portulaca umbraticola subsp. umbraticola 'Cultivar Name' or as Portulaca umbraticola subsp. umbraticola Group Name. The l... read moreatter may be placed in brackets and followed by the cultivar name enclosed in single quotes.

The author Urs Eggli places these plants correctly as cultivars of P. umbraticola subsp. umbraticola in the book "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Dicotyledons" (2001).

Eggli states of P. umbraticola : "This species is unique by virtue of the membranous wing ('corona') surrounding the basis of the capsule" and further writes: "A horticultural selection is available as a cultivar 'Wildfire Mixed'."

A paper which talks about the development of this first Portulaca umbraticola series is Matthews, J.F., D.W. Ketron and S.F. Zane.1992. "Portulaca umbraticola Kunth.(Portulacaceae) in the United States." Castanea 57: 202-208.

Most horticulturalists today presume correctly that the 'Wildfire' series was bred from plants originating in South America (as the flowers of P. umbraticola subsp. umbraticola from South America are much larger, with richer coloring and much greater colour diversity). It is reasonable to presume that the progenitors of the 'Wildfire' series were South American plants of this subspecies that were being grown by native plant enthusiasts in the US. It is possible that the plants were grown originally as more showy and longer-lived "substitutes" to the native subspecies, which are comparatively short-lived plants with rather weak and spindly stems and small flowers.

There are two subspecies that are native to the United States.

P. umbraticola subsp. coronata is found on granite and sandstone rock outcrops in South Carolina and Georgia and has small, pure yellow flowers.

P. umbraticola subsp. lanceolata grows on rock outcrops and sand in S USA, W of the Mississippi, and has small yellow flowers tipped with coppery red. Both of the subspecies native to the USA are short-lived annuals with small flowers and have little colour variation in the petals. It seems unlikely that they were ever used to breed the original 'Wildfire' series.

The 'Wildfire' series has been continued to this day and goes under other names. The lineage is essentially still the same as the original series, although some plant breeders claim to have created new lines with greater flower abundance or larger flowers or improved colour tones. Some also claim that their plants are longer lived. For the most part, they are still basically the same plants as the original 'Wildfire' series. At least this is the conclusion I have always reached whenever I have grown them side by side in the garden.

Some of the newer cultivar names for Portulaca umbraticola cultivars include 'Sun Jewels', 'Hot Spots', 'Pazzazz', 'Yubi', 'Summer Joy', and 'Toucan', and many, many others. They are sold under different names throughout the world, but are all essentially the same cultivars in my opinion.

As most of these plants are cutting-grown, the plants are best regarded as individual cultivars, rather than as true strains. The word "strain" implies that the plants have been grown as a batch from seed. The original 'Wildfire' Series were recessive when grown from seed. After one or two generations fewer viable seeds are produced as sterility returns. There is also a tendency for seedlings to revert to a plain yellow flower form, rather than repeat the parental type reliably. The only way to produce a new batch from seed is to start from scratch and hand cross the original wild varieties. This will produce a new batch of F1 intra-varietal cultivars.

The problem of recessive genes means that the chances of extending a lineage through further breeding become very limited. Only chance sports will occasionally be found and these can then be continued by cuttings. Some of the wholesale nurseries claim to be using "tissue culture" to propagate their plants, but I suspect they could be using this term loosely.

There are a couple of "strains" that do seem to be trending towards new lineages, but it is difficult to know how much selective breeding was actually involved in their development. It is also difficult to predict if these lineages can ever be expanded in future. As the so-called "strains" mostly consist of individuals rather than a batch showing a range of variations, this suggests that they are actually just "sports" (arrived at by chance) and they have then been propagated vegetatively.

One of these new "strains" focuses on broken flower color [the 'Duet' series]. Another has focused on flowers with deformed petaloid stamens that make the flower look semi-double [the 'Fairytail' series].

An interesting side point is that the original series was not called 'Wildfire'. It was called 'Wildfire Mixed' because the developers found that the colours were unstable whenever plants were grown from seed. So the 'Wildfire' name was dropped in favour of 'Wildfire Mixed'. The original plan had been to market this series as packeted seed rather than as live plants.

Incidentally, the original progenitors of the 'Wildfire Mixed' series, the Pan American Seed Company, has in more recent times moved on to the "Toucan" range under their "Hot Summer Survivors" banner. I note that they are selling seed of selected colours. You can choose from 'Mixed', 'Yellow', 'Fushia', and 'Scarlet'.

I wonder if this means they have finally resolved the problem of unstable flower colour that had plagued the original 'Wildfire' series? I would be interested to hear from anyone who has experience with growing this seed. I would be keen to know if they have reproduced reliably according to the designated flower colours.

Oddly (and frustratingly) the company are still using the incorrect name "Portulaca oleracea", even though the name for this purslane was corrected in "Sunset Garden Books" (America's leading horticultural journal) some 15 years ago. Today they should be called by their true species name, Portulaca umbraticola.

On Jan 9, 2011, sunkissed from Winter Springs, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:

I just love this colorful plant. It is about the only plant that will grow well in my sunny flower box that relies on hand watering or rain...very drought tolerant and selfseeds. I have even put the leaves in my salads and they have a nice taste to them, it is very high in vitamins A, B1 and C .
My only complaint is the flowers only stay out half the day and then close up, wish they'd stay out as long as the sun does. They can't tolerate too much water, the ones I have that get overhead irrigation eventually get leggy and rot at the soil base. Grow great in sunny neglected areas of sandy soil and seems to be the area that self seeds. Will not tolerate temperatures below 35.

On Aug 19, 2010, Poetinwood from Council Hill, OK wrote:

The purslane from the vendor listed at the top, Territorial Seed, does not sell the wild purslane, but Golden purslane.

On Nov 4, 2008, Phytowarrior from Brisbane,
Australia wrote:

Portulaca oleracea is one of the richest source of non-fish EPA Essential Fatty acids (Omega 3's) on earth.

The entire plant is edible and can be eaten raw, cooked or pickled and has a mild acid taste & a fatty/mucilaginous quality.

On Feb 18, 2008, Malus2006 from Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:

I consider this weed on the 10 worst weed for me. They loves to appear where there are sun in my yard and anywhere there are a little exposured soil. Carpetweed is also a co- conspiracy weed that grows along with Weedy Purslane.

On Jun 25, 2006, IslandJim from Keizer, OR (Zone 8b) wrote:

I like this tasty little salad plant. It's also great sauted with ground meat and tomatoes. And it is a valuable plant in erosion control. If it didn't volunteer, I'd probably plant it.

On May 20, 2006, diana_s from Milton, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

Fantastic, low maintenance plant. Love how it blooms from 9-5 and always seems to have lots of blooms!

On Oct 4, 2005, ponton from Victoria,
Afghanistan, Islamic State of wrote:

Wild pursalane has come up all over this town, in flower beds, cracks in sidewalks, and I have yet to hear a positive comment on it. Never saw it before this year (2005)

On Jun 4, 2005, woodspirit1 from Lake Toxaway, NC (Zone 7a) wrote:

I have not grown this plant but my sister-in-law has and she lives nearby. We live in a very rainy area but plant them with excellent drainage and they do great even here. Hers are in concrete urns setting atop some walled stairs in full sun (when we have it).

On Oct 13, 2004, hanna1 from Castro Valley, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

I love it's large flowers! mine are red, and it is very easy to gather seeds, I wonder if I will be able to grow it from seed.

On May 11, 2004, easter794 from Seffner, FL wrote:

I love this little plant but the squirrels love it too. They eat it all up. Very easy to grow. Little to no care. Easy to root, just pluck a piece off and stick it in the dirt. I have a new variety that is just lovely. All Aglow in Florida.

On Sep 12, 2003, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

San Antonio, TX

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A DESCRIPTION OF WILD PURSLANE NOT THE HYBRIDS USED AS GARDEN PLANTS. NEUTRAL RATING

The name "Portulaca" is a derivative of "portare" (Latin) which means to carry and lac (milk) which refers to the plant's milky sap. Meaning pertaining to kitchen gardens, "oleracea" (Latin) is a reference to its use as a vegetable. It is an herbaceous weed commonly known as purslane in the U.S. It is found growing wild and/or cultivated in much of the world in almost any unshaded area in cold, warm and/or hot climates.

The small, yellow, almost nonsignificant flowers are up to .25 inches in diameter and appear in late spring and continue into mid fall. The flowers are open only part of the day and do not open fully on v... read moreery cloudy days, like all portulaca. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod the lid of which opens when the seeds are ready and a single plant can produce more than 50,000 seeds.

The reason it is valued above a common weed is its edibility. Early settlers cooked it as a substitute for spinach, used the young leaves and stem tips in salads and ate the seeds. The seeds may be ground and baked into a bread. It has been used as a medicinal plant for a variety of ailments for hundreds of years. It contains a high level of Omega-3 fatty acids and protein (2 to 2.5%) compared to other vegetables. In fact, it is a better nutrient source than spinach.

When giving this plant a neutral rating, I am being kind due to its nutritional value. Otherwise, I would give it a negative rating because I consider it a weed in my flowerbeds. It is easy to pull, but pieces of stem can reroot readily. It keeps coming up in cracks in the street asphalt and has to be dug out with a screwdriver or knife. It can be chemically controlled using a pre-emergence herbicide containing oryzalin or pendimethalin.

HYBRID PURSLNE VARIETIES POSITIVE RATING
These varieties of purslane are a maintstay of my summer plantings. They reseed thmselves every year and provide continuous bright colored blooms. They require little care and are drought tolerant.

On Jul 8, 2003, broozersnooze from Jacksonville, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:

EXTREMELY easy to root. Break off a stem with a bloom, put it in water to root (takes only about a week). The cutting just keeps right on blooming. When the cutting roots the bloom is still there so you'll know what color you're planting. Neatest thing I've ever seen. Drought resistant, succulent-type plant. Lots of recipes on the web for cooking these beautiful plants.

On Jul 6, 2003, Yubiapricot from Aberdeen, MD wrote:

I love this plant. So many different colors to choose from. This year however, I'm having problems with my perfectly healthy 10" baskets of purslane. Almost overnight, ALL of the leaves began turning yellow and falling off.

On May 24, 2003, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (Zone 11) wrote:

This is the first plant I tried to grow, even though it was accidental (it started growing in an abandoned vase in my window, and I didn´t want it to die, like the other plants that tried to grow there spontaneously before). So, even a 14 years old kid with no experience or even taste for gardening can make it grow and bloom abundantly with little effort

On Jun 14, 2002, ishuffle from Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

This is a great plant for hanging baskets, pots, or as ground cover. Purslane loves the heat and is very drought tolerant. This is a plant that blooms from spring to frost without any maintenance.