Portulaca oleracea

Family Portulacaceae

Pigweed, Purslane

Annual, or short lived perennial, prostrate to decumbent succulent herb, with reddish stems to 25 cm long and fleshy leaves. Spreads vegetatively with adventitious roots forming on broken stems. Longevity 1 - 2 years.

Flower: Yellow in heads, August - March.

Fruit: Capsule, 3 - 6 mm long.

Seed: Minute, black. No specialised dispersal mechanism. Locally dispersed.

Gallery images: seed, seedling, rootstock, resprout

Ecology

• Open habitat in disturbed sites in full sun.
• Rare in woodland at the Australian Botanic Garden.
• Grazed by rabbits.
• Seeds reported to be eaten by birds, Richard's Pipit Anthus novaseelandiae.