Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Tree
Origin
South America
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-11
9-15
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-7
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
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Oval or Rounded
Flower Color
Red
Red, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Palmate
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Late Winter
Tolerances
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Well drained
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
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
Single
Foliage Texture
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Attracts
Butterflies
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Environmental Uses
Air purification
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
Ceiba pentandra
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
In Hindi
Portulaca
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
In German
Portulak
Kapok baum
In French
portulaca
Fromager
In Spanish
Portulaca
Ceiba
In Portuguese
Portulaca
Mafumeira
In Polish
Portulaca
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Malvales
Family
Portulacaceae
Bombacaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Eudicots, Rosids
Importance of Portulaca and Kapok
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Portulaca and Kapok. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Portulaca and Kapok as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Portulaca is Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite and Swelling whereas of Kapok is Aphrodisiac and Diuretic. Portulaca has beauty benefits as follows: Skin Problems while Kapok has beauty benefits as follows: Skin Problems.
Compare Facts of Portulaca vs Kapok
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Portulaca vs Kapok and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Portulaca are whereas of Kapok have Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress and wheezing respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Portulaca has no showy fruits and Kapok has showy fruits. Also Portulaca is not flowering and Kapok is not flowering . You can compare Portulaca and Kapok facts and facts of other plants too.