Life Span
Annual
  
Perennial
  
Type
Flowering Plants
  
Shrub
  
Origin
South America
  
United States, Southeastern United States, South-Central United States, Texas, Mexico
  
Types
Not available
  
Not Available
  
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
  
Cultivated Beds
  
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-11
  
8-11
  
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
  
11-7
  
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, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
  
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
  
Upright/Erect
  
Plant Size
  
  
Plant Color
  
  
Flower Color
Red
  
Red, Magenta, Orange Red
  
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
  
Not Available
  
Fruit Color
Not Available
  
Brown, Red
  
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
  
Green, Blue Green
  
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
  
Green, Blue Green
  
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
  
Green, Blue Green
  
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
  
Not Available
  
Shape
  
  
Leaf Shape
Needle like
  
Arrowhead
  
Thorns
No
  
Yes
  
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
  
Spring, Summer, Fall
  
Growing Conditions
  
  
Sunlight
Full Sun
  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
  
Growth Rate
Very Fast
  
Fast
  
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
  
Loam, Sand
  
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
  
Soil Drainage
Well drained
  
Well drained
  
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
  
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
  
Repeat Bloomer
Yes
  
No
  
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, Alkaline
  
Soil Type
Well drained
  
Loam, Sand
  
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
  
Well drained
  
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
  
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
  
Apply 10-10-10 amount
  
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
  
No serious insect or disease problems
  
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
  
Drought
  
Flowers
Showy
  
Showy
  
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
  
Single
  
Fruits
  
  
Showy Fruit
No
  
Yes
  
Edible Fruit
No
  
No
  
Fragrance
  
  
Fragrant Flower
No
  
No
  
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
  
Matte
  
Evergreen
No
  
No
  
Invasive
No
  
No
  
Self-Sowing
Yes
  
Yes
  
Attracts
Butterflies
  
Hummingbirds
  
Allergy
Not Available
  
Toxic
  
Uses
  
  
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
  
Borders
  
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
  
Not Available
  
Edible Uses
Yes
  
Yes
  
Environmental Uses
Air purification
  
Air purification
  
Plant Benefits
  
  
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
  
Antiemetic, Diuretic, Purgative, Tonic
  
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
  
Flowers, Leaves
  
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
  
Used as a general tonic, Used as a rat poison, Used as a vegetable
  
Used As Indoor Plant
No
  
No
  
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
  
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower
  
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
  
ERYTHRINA herbacea
  
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
  
Red cardinal, Cardinal spear
  
In Hindi
Portulaca
  
Red Cardinal
  
In German
Portulak
  
Red Cardinal
  
In French
portulaca
  
Cardinal rouge
  
In Spanish
Portulaca
  
Cárdenas
  
In Greek
Portulaca
  
κόκκινο Καρδινάλιος
  
In Portuguese
Portulaca
  
Cardeal vermelho
  
In Polish
Portulaca
  
Red Cardinal
  
In Latin
Portulaca
  
Cardinalis Rubrum
  
Kingdom
Plantae
  
Plantae
  
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
  
Magnoliophyta
  
Class
Magnoliopsida
  
Magnoliopsida
  
Order
Caryophyllales
  
Fabales
  
Family
Portulacaceae
  
Fabaceae
  
Genus
Portulaca
  
Erythrina
  
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
  
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
  
Tribe
Not Available
  
Phaseoleae
  
Subfamily
Not Available
  
Faboideae
  
Number of Species
Not Available
  
Importance of Portulaca and Red Cardinal
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Portulaca and Red Cardinal. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Portulaca and Red Cardinal 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 Red Cardinal is Antiemetic, Diuretic, Purgative and Tonic. Portulaca has beauty benefits as follows: Skin Problems while Red Cardinal has beauty benefits as follows: Skin Problems.
Compare Facts of Portulaca vs Red Cardinal
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 Red Cardinal 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 Not Available whereas of Red Cardinal have Toxic respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Portulaca has no showy fruits and Red Cardinal has showy fruits. Also Portulaca is not flowering and Red Cardinal is not flowering . You can compare Portulaca and Red Cardinal facts and facts of other plants too.