Portulaca oleracea

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Portulaca oleracea

Content

<<<Habit>Stems>Hairs>Length

ca. 1 mm long1
1. 001-002-004-001

<<<Leaves>Blade>Shape>Dimensions

0.6-4 x 0.2-2 cm2
2. 002-003-002-001

<<<Sepals>Stamens>Anthers>Length

0.4-0.5 mm long3
3. 004-005-003-002

<<<Sepals>Stamens>Anthers>Shape

broadly oblongoid or globose4
4. 004-005-003-001

<<<Sepals>Stamens>Filaments>Length

1.5-1.75 mm long5
5. 004-005-002-001

<<Fruits>Seeds>Colour

black6
6. 005-004-001

<<Fruits>Seeds>Shape

cochleate7
7. 005-004-002

<<Fruits>Seeds>Texture

very finely and minutely granulate or tuberculate8
8. 005-004-004

<<Fruits>Seeds>Width

ca. 0.5-0.8 mm wide9
9. 005-004-003

<<Habit>Stems>Colour

purplish10
10. 001-002-003

<<Habit>Stems>Growth form

spreading11
11. 001-002-001

<<Habit>Stems>Hairs

glabrous or with few nodal hairs of12
12. 001-002-004

<<Habit>Stems>Length

to 30(-50) cm long13
13. 001-002-002

<<Leaves>Blade>Hairs

glabrous14
14. 002-003-003

<<Leaves>Blade>Shape

flat, elliptical, obovate or spathulate, , obtuse or truncate at apex, cuneate at base15
15. 002-003-002

<<Leaves>Blade>Texture

fleshy16
16. 002-003-001

<<Leaves>Petiole>Length

1-8 mm long17
17. 002-002-001

<<Sepals>Ovary>Shape

ovoid or short-conical18
18. 004-006-001

<<Sepals>Ovary>Stigmatic branch number

4-619
19. 004-006-002

<<Sepals>Petals>Colour

yellow20
20. 004-004-001

<<Sepals>Petals>Dimensions

3-8 x 1.5-3 mm21
21. 004-004-004

<<Sepals>Petals>Petal number

4-522
22. 004-004-002

<<Sepals>Petals>Shape

obovate23
23. 004-004-003

<<Sepals>Stamens>Anthers

anthers , ;24
24. 004-005-003

<<Sepals>Stamens>Filaments

filaments ,25
25. 004-005-002

<<Sepals>Stamens>Stamen number

6-2026
26. 004-005-001

<Fruits>Dimensions

ca. 4-5 x ca. 2.5 mm27
27. 005-002

<Fruits>Relative dimensions

circumscissile from ca. 1/3 up from base, to near middle28
28. 005-003

<Fruits>Seeds

seeds , , , .29
29. 005-004

<Fruits>Shape

broadly ovoid to fusiform30
30. 005-001

<Habit>Root system

fibrous-rooted;31
31. 001-001

<Habit>Stems

stems prostrate or decumbent, , , .32
32. 001-002

<Inflorescences>Flower number per cluster

up to 1033
33. 003-002

<Inflorescences>Position

terminal34
34. 003-001

<Leaves>Blade

blade , , .35
35. 002-003

<Leaves>Petiole

petiole ;36
36. 002-002

<Leaves>Stipules

stipules inconspicuous, minutely fimbriate or absent;37
37. 002-001

<Sepals>Colour

green38
38. 004-001

<Sepals>Dimensions

2.8-5 x 2.8-4 mm39
39. 004-003

<Sepals>Ovary

ovary half-inferior, , stigmatic branches .40
40. 004-006

<Sepals>Petals

petals , , , , ephemeral;41
41. 004-004

<Sepals>Shape

broadly ovate to orbicular-ovate or triangular42
42. 004-002

<Sepals>Stamens

stamens ,43
43. 004-005

Common Name

Boni (French Guiana): posin Creole (French Guiana): croupier, croupier blanc English (French Guiana): akusinami, posen, pourpier English (Guyana): hog bhajee English (Suriname): bembe, gron-posren, gron-possie, krokot, lonia, piendjalang, porselein, pose, postelein

Description

Annual herb, succulent; fibrous-rooted; stems prostrate or decumbent, spreadingto 30(-50) cm long, purplish, glabrous or with few nodal hairs of ca. 1 mm long. Leaves alternate, upper leaves often opposite; stipules inconspicuous, minutely fimbriate or absent; petiole 1-8 mm long; blade fleshy, flat, elliptical, obovate or spathulate, 0.6-4 x 0.2-2 cm, obtuse or truncate at apex, cuneate at base, glabrous. Inflorescence of terminal, solitary or clustered, sessile or subsessile flowers, clusters of up to 10 flowers. Sepals green, broadly ovate to orbicular-ovate or triangular, 2.8-5 x 2.8-4 mm, broadly keeled above, united at base, usually persistent; petals yellow, 4-5, obovate, 3-8 x 1.5-3 mm, ephemeral; stamens 6-20, filaments 1.5-1.75 mm long, anthers broadly oblongoid or globose, 0.4-0.5 mm long; ovary half-inferior, ovoid or short-conical, stigmatic branches 4-6. Fruit broadly ovoid to fusiform, ca. 4-5 x ca. 2.5 mm, circumscissile from ca. 1/3 up from base, to near middle; seeds black, cochleate, ca. 0.5-0.8 mm wide, very finely and minutely granulate or tuberculate.

Distribution

Guianas present, Old World tropics
Subcosmopolitan weed, indigenous to the Old World tropics and introduced elsewhere; in the Guianas on disturbed ground; 79 collections studied, all from the Guianas (GU: 20; SU: 39; FG: 20).

Fruits

Fruit , , ;44
44. 005

Habit

Annual herb, succulent;45
45. 001

Individuals Association

Suriname, Along road from Nieuw Nickerie to the sea, Wessels Boer 529 Guyana, Kanuku Mts., Nappi-head on Nappi Cr., Camp 1, Jansen-Jacobs et al. 665 Suriname, Paramaribo, way to Kwatta, Samuels 330 Iles de Salut, Ile Royale, Cremers 8433 Guyana, Rupununi R., Monkey Pond landing, SW of Mt. Makarapan, Maas et al. 7635 Guyana, Pomeroon Distr., Waramuri Mission, Moruka R., de la Cruz 2564 Maripasoula, Sauvain 623 Route de Baduel, Ile de Cayenne, Hoff 5709 Suriname, Lower Saramacca R. near Plantation Catharina Sophia, Lanjouw 277

Inflorescences

Inflorescence of , solitary or clustered, sessile or subsessile flowers, clusters of flowers.46
46. 003

Leaves

Leaves alternate, upper leaves often opposite;47
47. 002

Notes

No seemingly authentic Guianan specimens of Portulaca mucronata Link, (cited for the Guianas, e.g. by Lemée (1955) and Grenand (1987) for French Guiana), have been seen in this study; it is a South American yellow-flowered plant with mucronate leaves, resembling P. oleracea.

Sepals

Sepals , , , broadly keeled above, united at base, usually persistent;48
48. 004

Uses

Sometimes cultivated as a leafy vegetable in Suriname, and the leaves also mixed with sugar or soap and used for ripening abscesses (Ostendorf, 1962). In French Guiana, the Palikur Amerindians crush the leaves and stems in water, and drink the resulting liquid as an hypotensive, whereas French Guianan Creoles use a tea of the plant as an antidiabetic (e.g., Ducatillon & Gelly 49) and digestive. They also use the whole plant as an emollient for muscular aches and make a purgative and a drink for albuminuria from the plant (Grenand et al., 1987).