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Flower


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Trianthema portulacastrum - desert horsepurslane

Synonyms: Trianthema monogyna
Other Common Names: desert horsepurslane, horse purslane
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Aizoaceae


   
 
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Leaves
Liz Makings @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual   Similar Species: Portulaca oleracea
General Desc: Mat forming, semi-succulent, diffusely branched plant; tiny pink, purple, or purplish-pink solitary flowers in leaf axils (between the leaf and stem), partly enclosed by the sheath formed by leaf stipules (leaflike structures at the base of leaf stem).
Identification notes: Ground-hugging plant; opposite, oval, succulent leaves. Similar to P. oleracea which has yellow flowers, this species pink to purplish flowers. Capsules have 2 crests on top, look like mouse ears; flowers/fruits are partly hidden in leaf axils.
Height: Trailing 8 to 23 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Moist or seasonally dry, usually open, wetlands including alkaline flats, playa lakes, banks of rivers, creeks, roadside depressions, beaches, disturbed areas including gardens, irrigated soils, ditches, fields, ballast, stockyards, sidewalks, railroads.
Plant Communities: Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 1000 - 4000 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Purplish to pink     Shape: Regular not in clusters     Tubular: Y     Flowering Period: Jun - Oct
Description: Purplish to pink, solitary in leaf axils, partly enclosed by the sheath formed by the stem (petiole) base; sheath (calyx lobes) appearing like 5 petal-like structures, around 1/8 inch long, pink with a green horn on the back near the tip; petals absent.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Round or oval     Leaf Margin: Smooth     Leaf Attachment: Opposite     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Reddish-green succulent stems, prostrate or with ascending tips (decumbent), diffusely branched to 23 inches; young branches with lines of minute hairs near the bases of leaf stems (petioles). Leaves spoon-shaped, attached at narrow end in unequal pairs.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Cylindrical, about 1/4 inch long with prominent crests (look like mouse ears); contains several seeds.
Seed Notes: Ridged seeds reddish-brown to black, about 1/16 inch in diameter.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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