Kiss me quick
Also known as: shaggy portulaca, Chisme
Portulaca pilosa L.
[=Portulaca mundula I.M. Johnst. ]
Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- 3-6, prostrate, laxly decumbent or laxly ascending, highly branched; branches 1.2 to 6+ inches long, succulent, conspicuous hairs at nodes.
- Leaves
- Alternate, fleshy, cylindrical, linear to linear-oblanceolate, 1/5 to 4/5 inch long, 1/50 to 1/16 wide; tufts of whitish woolly hairs in leaf axils.
- Inflorescence
- Flowers, 2-8, nearly sessile, clustered in soft-hairy heads, terminal; flowers subtended by 6-10 bract-like leaves.
- Flower
- Tiny, 1/5 to 2/5 in diameter; sepals 2, lobes triangular; petals 4-6 (usually 5), egg-shaped, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, 1/16 to 1/8 inch wide, red to purple; tip slightly notched; stamens 10-30; stigmas 3-6.
- Fruit
- Capsule, 1-celled, egg-shaped to spherical, 1/16 to 1/5 inch in diameter; seeds many, kidney-shaped, black, surface with knobby projections.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Disturbed sites, roadsides, rocky limestone and sandstone outcrops, along railroads; sandy or gravelly soils.
- Distribution
- East 4/5 of Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
This is a highly variable species. Plants growing in dry habitats display more hair than those in moist habitats. The flowers are closed at night and open in the late morning or in the afternoon. Related to Portulaca grandiflora, a cultivated ornamental.
Synonyms
Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.
Scientific Name: Portulaca mundula
Full Citation: Portulaca mundula I.M. Johnst.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Portulacaceae - Purslane Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 1-4 inches
- Last Updated
- 2008-09-12
Color Groups
Flowering Period
Blooms: June, July, August, September