Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Fruit
Origin
South America
Asia
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Avalon Lemon, Bears Lemon, Buddha's Hand, Bush Lemon, Citron
Number of Varieties
5050
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
Mixed deciduous forest, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-119-12
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
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm120.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm150.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Yellow, Lemon yellow
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
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
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
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
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, occasional watering once established
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
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
Generally pruned to waist height, pruning needed for strong structure, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Doesn't require fertilization when grown in rich soil
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Aphids, Grasshoppers, Leafminers, Red blotch, Rust, Snails
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Drought, Drought and Salt
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Diarrhea, Hyperacidity, Sore Throat, Whooping Cough
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
Glowing Skin, Maintains teeth healthy, Making cosmetics, Nourishes scalp, Perfumes, Skin inflammation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Fixes Nitrogen, Insect Repellent, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Acne, Antibacterial, Antirheumatic, Appetizer, Bone strength, Digestion problems, Hangover, Healthy teeth, Nutrients, Obesity, Oral health, Skin irritation
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Bark, Fruits, Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Air freshner, Biomass for fuel, Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves are used as mosquito repellent, Making Perfumes, Preferably used as black tea, Used as a nutritious food item
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Container, Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
CITRUS limon
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Lemon
In Hindi
Portulaca
नींबू
In German
Portulak
Citrone or Limone or Zitrone
In French
portulaca
Citron or Citronnier
In Spanish
Portulaca
Limón or Limonero
In Greek
Portulaca
Λεμόνι [Lemóni]
In Portuguese
Portulaca
Limão
In Polish
Portulaca
Cytrynowy
In Latin
Portulaca
Limon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Sapindales
Family
Portulacaceae
Rutaceae
Genus
Portulaca
Citrus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
150
1
27800
👆🏻