The Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising 115 species in a single genus Portulaca. Formerly some 20 genera with about 500 species, were placed there, but it is now restricted to encompass only one genus. It is also known as the purslane family. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity in semiarid regions of the Southern Hemisphere in Africa, Australia, and South America, but with a few species also extending north into Arctic regions. The family is very similar to the Caryophyllaceae, differing in the calyx, which has only two sepals.
The APG II system (2003; unchanged from the APG system of 1998) assigns it to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots. In the APG III system, several genera were moved to the Montiaceae, Didiereaceae, Anacampserotaceae and Talinaceae, thus making the family monotypic and only containing the genus Portulaca.
Species The following species are accepted:
Portulaca africana (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin Portulaca almeviae Ocampo Portulaca amilis Speg. – Paraguayan purslane Portulaca anceps A.Rich. Portulaca argentinensis Speg. Portulaca aurantiaca Proctor Portulaca australis Endl. Portulaca badamica S.R.Yadav & Dalavi Portulaca bicolor F.Muell. – Australian pigweed Portulaca biloba Urb. – Cuban purslane Portulaca brevifolia Urb. Portulaca bulbifera M.G.Gilbert Portulaca californica D.Legrand Portulaca canariensis Danin & Reyes-Bet. Portulaca cardenasiana D.Legrand – Puerto Rican purslane Portulaca caulerpoides Britton & P.Wilson Portulaca centrali-africana R.E.Fr. Portulaca chacoana D.Legrand Portulaca ciferrii Chiov. Portulaca clavigera R.Geesink Portulaca colombiana D.Legrand Portulaca commutata M.G.Gilbert Portulaca confertifolia Hauman Portulaca conoidea S.M.Phillips Portulaca constricta M.G.Gilbert Portulaca conzattii P.Wilson Portulaca coralloides S.M.Phillips Portulaca cryptopetala Speg. Portulaca cubensis Britton & P.Wilson Portulaca cyclophylla F.Muell. Portulaca cypria Danin Portulaca daninii Galasso, Banfi & Soldano Portulaca decipiens Poelln. Portulaca decorticans M.G.Gilbert Portulaca dhofarica M.G.Gilbert Portulaca diegoi Mattos Portulaca digyna F.Muell. Portulaca dodomaensis M.G.Gilbert Portulaca echinosperma Hauman Portulaca edulis Danin & Bagella Portulaca elatior Mart. ex Rohrb. Portulaca elongata Rusby Portulaca eruca Hauman Portulaca erythraeae Schweinf. Portulaca fascicularis Peter Portulaca filifolia F.Muell. Portulaca filsonii J.H.Willis Portulaca fischeri Pax Portulaca fluvialis D.Legrand Portulaca foliosa Ker Gawl. Portulaca fragilis Poelln. Portulaca frieseana Poelln. Portulaca fulgens Griseb. Portulaca gilliesii Hook. Portulaca giuliettiae T.Vieira & A.A.Coelho Portulaca goiasensis T.Vieira & A.A.Coelho Portulaca gracilis Poelln. Portulaca grandiflora Hook. – moss-rose purslane Portulaca grandis Peter Portulaca granulatostellulata (Poelln.) Ricceri & Arrigoni Portulaca greenwayi M.G.Gilbert Portulaca guanajuatensis Ocampo Portulaca halimoides L. – silkcotton purslane Portulaca hatschbachii D.Legrand Portulaca hereroensis Schinz Portulaca heterophylla Peter Portulaca hirsutissima Cambess. Portulaca hoehnei D.Legrand Portulaca howellii (D.Legrand) Eliasson Portulaca humilis Peter Portulaca impolita (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin Portulaca insignis Steyerm. Portulaca intraterranea J.M.Black Portulaca johnstonii Henrickson Portulaca juliomartinezii Ocampo Portulaca kermesina N.E.Br. Portulaca kuriensis M.G.Gilbert Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana S.R.Yadav & Dalavi Portulaca lutea Sol. ex G.Forst. – yellow purslane Portulaca macbridei D.Legrand Portulaca macrantha Ricceri & Arrigoni Portulaca macrorhiza R.Geesink Portulaca macrosperma D.Legrand Portulaca masonii D.Legrand Portulaca massaica S.M.Phillips Portulaca matthewsii Ocampo Portulaca mauritiensis Poelln. Portulaca mexicana P.Wilson Portulaca meyeri D.Legrand Portulaca minensis D.Legrand Portulaca minuta Correll Portulaca molokiniensis Hobdy – Ihi Portulaca monanthoides Lodé Portulaca mucronata Link Portulaca mucronulata D.Legrand Portulaca nicaraguensis (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin Portulaca nitida (Danin & H.G.Baker) Ricceri & Arrigoni Portulaca nivea Poelln. Portulaca nogalensis Chiov. Portulaca oblonga Peter Portulaca obtusa Poelln. Portulaca obtusifolia D.Legrand Portulaca okinawensis E.Walker & Tawada Portulaca oleracea L. – common purslane, pigweed Portulaca oligosperma F.Muell. Portulaca olosirwa S.M.Phillips Portulaca papillatostellulata (Danin & H.G.Baker) Danin Portulaca papulifera D.Legrand Portulaca papulosa Schltdl. Portulaca paucistaminata Poelln. Portulaca perennis R.E.Fr. Portulaca peteri Poelln. Portulaca philippii I.M.Johnst. Portulaca pilosa L. – shaggy purslane Portulaca psammotropha Hance Portulaca pusilla Kunth Portulaca pygmaea Steyerm. Portulaca quadrifida L. – chickenweed purslane Portulaca ragonesei D.Legrand Portulaca ramosa Peter Portulaca rausii Danin Portulaca rhodesiana R.A.Dyer & E.A.Bruce Portulaca rotundifolia R.E.Fr. Portulaca rubricaulis Kunth – redstem purslane Portulaca rzedowskiana Ocampo Portulaca samhaensis A.G.Mill. Portulaca samoensis Poelln. Portulaca sanctae-martae Poelln. Portulaca sardoa Danin, Bagella & Marrosu Portulaca saxifragoides Welw. ex Oliv. Portulaca sclerocarpa A.Gray – Ihi makole Portulaca sedifolia N.E.Br. Portulaca sedoides Welw. ex Oliv. Portulaca sicula Danin, Domina & Raimondo Portulaca smallii P.Wilson – Small's purslane Portulaca socotrana Domina & Raimondo Portulaca somalica N.E.Br. Portulaca stellulatotuberculata Poelln. Portulaca stuhlmannii Poelln. Portulaca suffrutescens Engelm. – shrubby purslane Portulaca suffruticosa Wight Portulaca sundaensis Poelln. Portulaca thellusonii Lindl. Portulaca tingoensis J.F.Macbr. Portulaca trianthemoides Bremek. Portulaca trituberculata Danin, Domina & Raimondo Portulaca tuberculata León Portulaca tuberosa Roxb. Portulaca umbraticola Kunth – wingpod purslane Portulaca werdermannii Poelln. Portulaca wightiana Wall. ex Wight & Arn. Portulaca yecorensis Henrickson & T.Van Devender Portulaca zaffranii Danin
Formerly placed here Anacampseros arachnoides (Haw.) Sims (as P. arachnoides Haw.) Anacampseros filamentosa subsp. filamentosa (as P. filamentosa Haw.) Anacampseros lanceolata subsp. lanceolata (as P. lanceolata Haw.) Anacampseros rufescens (Haw.) Sweet (as P. rufescens Haw.) Anacampseros telephiastrum DC. (as P. anacampseros L.) Montia howellii S. Watson Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. (as P. portulacastrum L.) Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss. (as P. fruticosa L. or P. triangularis Jacq.) Talinum paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn. (as P. paniculata Jacq. or P. patens L.)
Uses Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is widely consumed as an edible plant, and in some areas it is invasive. Portulaca grandiflora is a well-known ornamental garden plant. Purslanes are relished by chickens. Some Portulaca species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the nutmeg moth (Hadula trifolii).
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References
Portulacaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants Flora of North America: Portulacaceae Flora of China: Portulacaceae links at CSDL Portulacaceae of Chile, by Chileflora