- Family: Portulacaceae Juss.
- Genus: Portulaca L.
Portulaca wightiana Wall. ex Wight & Arn.
- Genus: Portulaca L.
[FSOM]
M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS
- Morphology General Habit
- Short-lived perennial forming small clumps, branching mainly above base
- Morphology Stem
- Stems ± woody at base, with dark bark, to 10 cm long, usually less, to 4 mm thick, occasionally rooting adventitiously from lowermost nodes; internodes shorter than nodal scales at least at base of stem, upper internodes sometimes longer
- Morphology Leaves
- Involucral leaves 4, similar to stem leaves Leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate, very fleshy, 3–4(–8) mm long, nodal scales uniformly lanceolate, 3.5–8 mm long, tip acuminate, often hair-like, often very pale brown when young but soon becoming silvery white, often hiding leaves and internodes
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers usually solitary, sessile
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals 2.5–4 x 1.5–2.7 mm, tip hooded
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4, yellow, to 5.5 mm long
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 4–8(–12)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
- Stigma 4-lobed
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Capsule subglobose, splitting very near base; operculum rounded, 1.5–2 mm diam., pale straw coloured, thin but ± opaque
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds 0.45–0.55 mm long, light brown with slight iridescent sheen; testa cells mostly with distinct central papilla, rarely ± uniformly domed, margins not discernable.
- Distribution
- N1; C2; S1; Ethiopia, Kenya, N Tanzania, S India, Sri Lanka
- Ecology
- Altitude range 320–1240 m.
- Note
- The nodal scales sometimes completely conceal the leaves and stems as in Anacampseros sect. Avonia.
[FZ]
Portulacaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961
- Morphology General Habit
- Perennial branching herb up to 10 cm. tall; roots rather swollen and parsniplike; stems often reddish, c. 2·5 mm. in diam.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves opposite, sessile, fleshy, up to 7 × 2 mm., lanceolate-acuminate, margins somewhat revolute, ± flattened on both sides; stipular hairs whitish, narrowing gradually from a dilated base up to 2 mm. wide to a hair-like apex, somewhat longer than both the leaves and the internodes.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers in terminal clusters of 3–4, sessile, surrounded by four apical leaves and numerous hairs scarcely dilated at the base and 4–7 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals c. 4 × 3 mm., broadly ovate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4, yellow, almost free, c. 4 mm. long, subspathulate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 8, 4 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary ovoid; style 4 mm. long with 3 stigma-lobes.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Capsule c. 3 mm. long, ovoid-globose, surrounded by the marcescent corolla, dehiscing horizontally across the middle.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, c. 0–45 mm. in diam., dark brown, subreniform, somewhat laterally compressed, with concentric lines of minute tubercles.
Native to:
Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Portulaca wightiana Wall. ex Wight & Arn. appears in other Kew resources:
| Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2004 | Wight in Herb. Wallich [6845], India | K000075360 | isotype | |
| Apr 30, 2004 | s.n. [1166], India | K000641660 | ||
| Apr 30, 2004 | s.n. [120], India | K000641661 | ||
| Rajagopal, T., India | 32334.000 | |||
| Gillett, J.B. [13061], Kenya | 9021.000 | |||
| s.coll. [Cat. no. 6845], India | K001124970 | |||
| Dinter [3489], Namibia | Portulaca collina | K000313625 |
First published in Prodr. Fl. Ind. Orient. 1: 356 (1834)
Accepted by
- Dassanayake (ed.) (1996). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 10: 1-426. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.
- Edwards, S., Tadesse, M., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (2000). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(1): 1-532. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
- Phillips, S.M. (2002). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Portulacaceae: 1-40.
- Thulin, M. (ed.) (1993). Flora of Somalia 1: 1-493. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Exell, A.W. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1961). Flora Zambesiaca 1(2): 337-581. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Phillips, S.M. (2002). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Portulacaceae: 1-40.
- Thulin, M. (ed.) (1993). Flora of Somalia 1: 1-493. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Flora of Somalia
- Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. G. Gilbert [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0