Purslane (Portulaca grandiflora) is a heat and drought tolerant annual plant native to the hot, arid plains of Uruguay, Argentina, and southern Brazil. This herbaceous plant from the Portulacaceae (purslane) family is grown worldwide as an annual garden because its attractive flowers bloom with little care all summer.
Purslane is among the 3 most important species[1] of portulaca. It has several common names, including rock rose, the sun rose, Mexican rose, eleven o’clock, and rose moss.
The common name for the Purslane, moss rose, is pretty descriptive of the main ornamental features of this plant: ruffled, rose-like blooms (up to 1 inch in diameter) that appear prostrate on slightly ascending stalks that form a carpet of moss.
This annual plant is a succulent plant that typically grows 6-8″ tall and extends up to 12” wide or more.
The flowers bloom from summer to frost and are available in double, semi-double, or single forms in colors like purple, lavender, magenta, fuchsia, red, orange, yellow, peach, pink, and white. The mid-green, fleshy, cylindrical leaves (up to 1″ long) appear in groups along the reddish stems.
