Life Span
Annual
Annual
Type
Flowering Plants
Vegetable
Origin
South America
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Green Tomatillo, Purple Tomatillo
Number of Varieties
5040
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
Cultivated Beds
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-116-9
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
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
Oval/Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red
Yellow, Sandy Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green, Purple, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Lance shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, 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
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Neutral
Soil Type
Well drained
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Shearing
Remove all suckers, Remove wet foliage
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Fungal Diseases
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Birds, Flea beetles
Allergy
-
Arthritis, Inflammation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Cancer, Diabetes, Energy, Opthalmic
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Fruits
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used for making green salsas and chilli sauce, Used in salads
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
PHYSALIS philadelphica
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Green Tomato, Mexican Groundcherry, Tomatillo
In Hindi
Portulaca
Tomatillos
In German
Portulak
Tomatillos
In French
portulaca
Tomatilles
In Spanish
Portulaca
Tomatillos
In Greek
Portulaca
Tomatillos
In Portuguese
Portulaca
Tomatillos
In Polish
Portulaca
Tomatillos
In Latin
Portulaca
Tomatillos
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Solanales
Family
Portulacaceae
Solanaceae
Genus
Portulaca
Physalis
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Physaleae
Subfamily
-
Solanoideae
Number of Species
175
1
27800
👆🏻