Purslane, common (Portulaca oleracea)

Purslane, common description

Taproot with fibrous lateral roots. Stems are succulent, smooth, fleshy, commonly flattened, freely branched, often forming mats and are four to 20 in. long. They are reddish-purple in color.

Leaves are alternate or nearly opposite, in clusters at the end of the branches, juicy with broad rounded tips. Leaves are thick, smooth and flesh-like, attached directly to branches and are ¼ to 1¼ in. long, green on upper surface and maroon-tinged on lower surface.

Propagation

Annual. Seed

Distribution

Throughout the U.S. and most common in the Northeast.

Identifying Purslane, common

Seedling

Cotyledons are two to three times as long as broad, smooth and succulent. Young leaves are opposite and tinged with red, with each new pair at a 90-degree angle to the previous pair.