Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Shrub
Origin
South America
Southern Africa
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Carissa Carandas
Number of Varieties
504
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-119-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-9
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
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Oval to roundish
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
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
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Average Water Needs
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
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Equal amount of N,P,K
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Aphids
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds
Allergy
-
Mildly Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Fruits
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Large Num-Num
In Hindi
Portulaca
नेटाल बेर
In German
Portulak
Natal Plum
In French
portulaca
natal Plum
In Spanish
Portulaca
Ciruela Natal
In Greek
Portulaca
Natal Plum
In Portuguese
Portulaca
Natal Plum
In Polish
Portulaca
Natal Plum
In Latin
Portulaca
Natal Plum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Gentianales
Family
Portulacaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Portulaca
Carissa
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Carisseae
Subfamily
-
Rauvolfioideae
Number of Species
120
1
27800
👆🏻