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Compare Portulaca and Natal Plum


Natal Plum and Portulaca


What is

Life Span
Annual  
Perennial  

Type
Flowering Plants  
Shrub  

Origin
South America  
Southern Africa  

Types
Portulaca grandiflora  
Carissa Carandas  

Number of Varieties
50  
99+
4  

Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas  
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas  

USDA Hardiness Zone
5-11  
9-11  

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  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
10.20 cm  
99+
60.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
20.30 cm  
99+
60.00 cm  
99+

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
No  
Yes  

Season

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
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought, Heat Tolerance  
Drought  

Care

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  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Fine  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
No  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
Butterflies  
Birds  

Allergy
-  
Mildly Toxic  

Benefits

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
Yes  
Yes  

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
No  
Yes  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible  
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical  

Scientific Name

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  

Classification

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
1  
99+
20  

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Difference Between Portulaca and Natal Plum

If you are confused whether Portulaca or Natal Plum are same, here are some features about those plants to help you choose better. Many people think that these two plants have the same characteristics, but one can see Portulaca and Natal Plum Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Portulaca are Requires high amount of nitrogen, whereas for Natal Plum fertilizers required are Equal amount of N,P,K. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Portulaca and Natal Plum if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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Importance of Portulaca and Natal Plum

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Portulaca and Natal Plum. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Portulaca and Natal Plum 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 Natal Plum is Iron, Potassium and Vitamin C. Portulaca has beauty benefits as follows: Skin Problems while Natal Plum has beauty benefits as follows: Skin Problems.

Compare Facts of Portulaca vs Natal Plum

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 Natal Plum 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 Natal Plum have Mildly Toxic respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Portulaca has no showy fruits and Natal Plum has showy fruits. Also Portulaca is not flowering and Natal Plum is not flowering . You can compare Portulaca and Natal Plum facts and facts of other plants too.

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