Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Herbs
Origin
South America
-
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Ocimum americanum
Number of Varieties
5020
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-119-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-1
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm30.50 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Allow soil to be completely dry in between waterings, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Neutral
Soil Type
Well drained
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Shearing
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Downy mildew, Dry root rot, Fusarium wilt, Gray mold, Japanese Beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Aphids, Beetles, Leaf Hoppers, Nematodes
Allergy
-
Hives, Itchiness, Rash, Swelling
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Borders, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Low calories, Manganese, Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin K
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Added to salads, Powdered and mixed with tea, Used in tea, wine and sweet dishes, Used to flavour soups
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
OCIMUM x citriodorum
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Lemon Basil
In Hindi
Portulaca
नींबू तुलसी
In German
Portulak
Limonenbasilikum
In French
portulaca
citron basilic
In Spanish
Portulaca
Ocimum × citriodorum
In Greek
Portulaca
λεμόνι βασιλικός
In Portuguese
Portulaca
manjericão limão
In Polish
Portulaca
Bazylia cytrynowa
In Latin
Portulaca
lemon Basilius
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Lamiales
Family
Portulacaceae
Lamiaceae
Genus
Portulaca
Ocimum
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Asterids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1169
1
27800
👆🏻