Portulaca grandiflora
| Portulaca grandiflora | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Portulaca grandiflora (common name: rose moss)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse, pricking out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out after the last expected frosts.
The seed can also be sown in situ in late spring, though the plants will not grow so large this way.
Cultivation: Prefers a rather dry poor soil in full sun[1][2]. Succeeds in a hot dry position, and dislikes wet soils[K].
Although a perennial when grown in warmer climates than Britain, it is best treated as a half-hardy annual in this country[1].
There are some named forms selected for their ornamental value[3].
Range: S. America - Brazil. Occasionally established in S. and S.C. Europe.
Habitat: Roadsides and waste places in Europe[4].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[5][6][7].
Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a powder and used in soups etc, or can be added to cereals[5][6][7]. The seed is very small and fiddly to utilize.
Root - cooked[7].
Medicinal: The entire plant is depurative[8]. It is used in the treatment of hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver with ascites, swelling and pain in the pharynx[8]. The fresh juice of the leaves and stems is applied externally as a lotion to snake and insect bites, burns, scalds and eczema[8][9].
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.