Life Span
Annual
Annual and Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Shrub
Origin
South America
Central America, South America
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
502
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-119-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
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
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring, Summer
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
Average Water Needs, 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
Alkaline
Soil Type
Well drained
Dry, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Shearing
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Wind
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
-
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
Malpighia emarginata
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
In Hindi
Portulaca
Acerola Tree
In German
Portulak
Acerola Baum
In French
portulaca
Acerola Arbre
In Spanish
Portulaca
Árbol de acerola
In Greek
Portulaca
Acerola Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Portulaca
Árvore acerola
In Polish
Portulaca
Acerola Drzewo
In Latin
Portulaca
Acerola ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Caryophyllales
Malpighiales
Family
Portulacaceae
Malpighiaceae
Genus
Portulaca
Malpighia
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
1-
1
27800
👆🏻