Caterpillar Purslane (Portulaca eruca)

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Portulaca eruca: Botanical Profile and Morphology

Endemic to specific regions of South America, Portulaca eruca thrives across parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. This perennial succulent species forms an unusual tuberous rootstock from which short, mostly unbranched stems arise. Botanist Lucien Leon Hauman first formally described the species in 1925, solidifying its place within the Portulacaceae family.

Taxonomy

∟ царство Plantae
∟ division Tracheophytes (Vascular Plants)
∟ subdivision Spermatophytes (Seed plants)
∟ Angiosperms
∟ mesangiosperms (Core angiosperms)
∟ eudicots
∟ core eudicots
∟ Superasterids
∟ order Caryophyllales
∟ подотряд / подпорядок Portulacineae
∟ family Portulacaceae (Purslane family)
∟ genus Portulaca (Purslane genus)
∟ species Portulaca eruca (Caterpillar Purslane)

Morphology

The plant features a tuberous rootstock covered with dark brown bark, producing ascending to erect shoots that typically reach 10 to 12 centimeters in length. The stems exhibit very short internodes and bear crowded, terete leaves. These grass-green foliage structures measure 5 to 7 millimeters long, terminating in a pointed tip with a short basal spur.

Axillary rosettes develop from shorter secondary leaves, accompanied by distinctive white hairs that extend beyond the leaf length. The inflorescence forms a crowded head surrounded by 8 to 9 involucral leaves. The blossoms are notably large, achieving up to 2.5 centimeters in diameter, and feature broadly ovate sepals.

Five brilliant magenta, obcordate petals define the vibrant corolla, typically measuring 1.0 to 1.5 centimeters long. The reproductive structures include numerous stamens with dark purple filaments and bright orange pollen, alongside a dark magenta style topped with five to eight stigmas. The resulting fruit is a small capsule containing warty, purplish-black seeds measuring around 0.5 millimeters.

Interesting facts

In 1921, Carl Curt Hosseus attempted to describe this exact plant under the name Portulaca cordobensis. However, according to the rules of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN), this earlier publication was deemed invalid, leaving Hauman's 1925 classification as the officially accepted scientific name.

Geography of distribution

Argentina
Bolivia
Paraguay

Sources

Wikimedia Commons
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Plants of the World Online (POWO)

Technical Information

External Databases: GBIF, POWO, Tropicos

Caterpillar Purslane (Portulaca eruca)