Portulaca oleracea

Unité de Malherbologie & Agronomie
Weed Science & Agronomy
INRA-Dijon

Bayer Code : porol

Synonym(s) of Sc. name:

Classification: Portulacaceae, Dicotyledonous

Common name: common purslane

Synonym(s) of Common name:

Name per country: DE : Portulak ; ES : verdolaga ; FR : pourpier maraîcher ; IT : porcellana comune ; PT : beldroega ; EN : common purslane ;

Biological type: Annual

Seedling:

- Cotyledons elliptic or ovate, rounded tip, more or less stalked.

- Leaves entire, lanceolate, more or less dentate.

Adult plant:

- Height: 20-40 cm.

- Stem glabrous,prostrate, fleshy, branched near the base, often red-tinged.

- Leaves lower in rosette, later alternate. Leaves fleshy, glabrous and shining, blue-green, clavated or ovate, up to 4 cm long, purplish beneath.

- Flowers yellow, very small, sessile, solitary or 2-3 at the forkings of the stem or at the base of the upper leaves.

- Fruit : capsule (pyxide) ovoid, opening by a transverse lid. Seeds numerous, black, shining, rounded (0.5-1 mm).

- Plant diuretic, vermifuge and antiscorbutic. Leaves with a slight acid taste rather pleasant. Plant eaten as a green salad.

- Biological type: annual.

Ecological profile (click on flags): Present Present Present Present Present