Portulaca oleracea

	DISSEMINATION

Kingdom	Plantae
Sub Kingdom	Tracheobionta (vascular plant)
Superdivision	Spermatophyta (seed plant)
Division	Magnoliophyta (flowering plant)
Class	Magnoliopsida (dicotyledon)
Order	Caryophyllidae
Family	Portulacaceae
Genus	*Portulaca*
Species	*oleracea*
Classification	L.
Common name	purslane

Geographic Range	it is a native of Eurasia, but it is widespread all over the world in the hot and mild zones.
Physical Characteristics	prostrate annual plant, with reddish, thin and fleshy stems. It may reach 30 centimeters in height. Succulent leaves are alternate, oval, glabrous with smooth margins. They may be up to 3 centimeters long. Upper leaves are verticillate, while the basal ones are clustered in a rosette. Flowers are small and yellow, with five petals and they open for just few hours in the morning, only on sunny days. They are found on the stem axil at the base of the highest leaves. It has a taproot with filamentous secondary roots. The fruit is a capsule containing many seeds.
Notes	it reproduces by seed and stem fragments.
Habitat	it is a cosmopolitan plant; it vegetates well on ruins and near walls.

Sources
References	Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences - University of Florida Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology & Weed Science - Virginia Tech University The Missouri Flora Website
Web References	http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ http://ipm.ppws.vt.edu/ http://www.missouriplants.com/
Source of the photo	http://www.missouriplants.com/