Portulaca is the type genus

Type genus

In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...

 of the flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 family Portulacaceae

Portulacaceae

Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising about 20 genera with about 500 species, ranging from herbaceous plants to shrubs. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists, and is also known as the purslane family; it has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity...

, comprising about 40-100 species found in the tropics

Tropics

The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately  N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at  S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...

 and warm temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...

 regions. They are also sometimes known as Rose Moss or more commonly Moss Roses.

Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is widely considered an edible plant, and in some areas an invasive type of weed. Some Portulaca species are used as food plants by the larvae

Caterpillar

Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...

 of some Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

 species including the Nutmeg

Nutmeg (moth)

The nutmeg , also known as the clover cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe although in the north of its range it is a summer migrant, not being able to survive the cold winters.This is a small to medium species with cryptically coloured forewings, varying from...

 (Hadula trifolii).

Purslane can be eaten raw or cooked, and lends itself to stir fry dishes. Some say it has a slight lemon-like taste and mushroom-like texture. It is relatively easy to grow in more northern climates, including the New England area in the United States.

Selected species

Portulaca amilis Speg. – Paraguayan Purslane Portulaca andicola Portulaca bicolor Portulaca bicolor Portulaca bicolor is a succulent species of the family Portulacaceae with cylindrical leaves and red stems. Flowering all year the plant is common to coastal regions of Australia.-External links:*... – Pigweed Portulaca biloba Urb. – Cuban Purslane Portulaca boliviensis Portulaca caulerpoides Britt. & Wilson ex Britt. – Puerto Rican Purslane Portulaca cryptopetala Portulaca elatior Portulaca elongata Portulaca eruca Portulaca fluvialis Portulaca fragilis Portulaca gilliesii Portulaca gracilis Portulaca grandiflora Hook. – Moss-rose Purslane Portulaca halimoides Portulaca halimoides Portulaca halimoides is a species of purslane known by the common name silkcotton purslane. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, as well as parts of Central and South America. It is a fleshy annual herb producing a branching stem spreading to a maximum... L. – Silkcotton Purslane Portulaca insularis Portulaca intraterranea Portulaca intraterranea Portulaca intraterranea, large pigweed, is a succulent herb native to deserts of central Australia.The leaves are succulent, with flowers 2.5-3.5 cm wide. Aborigines eat the thick tap-root which tastes like potato.... Portulaca kuriensis Portulaca kuriensis Portulaca kuriensis is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family, Portulacaceae, that is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas.-References:... A.G.Mill. (Yemen) Portulaca lanuginosa Portulaca longiusculotuberculata

Portulaca lutea Soland. ex G.Forst. – Yellow Purslane Portulaca molokiniensis Hobdy – Ihi Portulaca mucronata Portulaca napiformis Portulaca oleracea L. – Common Purslane, Pigweed Portulaca papulosa Portulaca pedicellata Portulaca perennis Portulaca pilosa Portulaca pilosa Portulaca pilosa is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family, Portulacaceae, that is native to the Americas. Its range extends from the southern United States and the Caribbean as far south as Brazil. It is a succulent with linear leaves and pink flowers.-External links:*... L. – Shaggy Purslane Portulaca psammotropha Portulaca quadrifida L. – Chickenweed Purslane Portulaca rotundifolia Portulaca rubricaulis – Redstem Purslane Portulaca samhaensis Portulaca samhaensis Portulaca samhaensis is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family, Portulacaceae, that is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:... A.G.Mill. (Yemen) Portulaca sclerocarpa Portulaca sclerocarpa Portulaca sclerocarpa is a rare species of flowering plant in the purslane family known by the common names 'ihi makole and po`e. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Hawaii and an islet off of Lanai. Ten occurrences exist for a total of over 1000 individuals... A.Gray Asa Gray -References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001.... – Ihi Makole Portulaca sedifolia Portulaca sedifolia Portulaca sedifolia is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family, Portulacaceae, that is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat is rocky areas.-References:* Miller, A. 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007.... A.G.Mill. (Yemen) Portulaca smallii P.Wilson Percy Wilson Percy Wilson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League during the early 1900s.... – Small's Purslane Portulaca suffrutescens Engelm. – Shrubby Purslane Portulaca teretifolia – Roundleaf Purslane Portulaca umbraticola Kunth – Wingpod Purslane Portulaca villosa Cham. – Hairy Purslane, Ihi

Formerly placed here

• Anacampseros arachnoides (Haw.) Sims (as P. arachnoides Haw.)
• Anacampseros filamentosa subsp. filamentosa (as P. filamentosa Haw.)
• Anacampseros lanceolata subsp. lanceolata (as P. lanceolata Haw.)
• Anacampseros rufescens (Haw.) Sweet (as P. rufescens Haw.)
• Anacampseros telephiastrum DC. (as P. anacampseros L.)
• Sesuvium portulacastrum
  Sesuvium portulacastrum
  Sesuvium portulacastrum, commonly known as shoreline purslane or "sea purslane", is a sprawling perennial herb that grows in coastal areas throughout much of the world.-Description:...
  
  (L.) L. (as P. portulacastrum L.)
• Talinum fruticosum
  Talinum fruticosum
  Talinum fruticosum is an herbaceous perennial plant that is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and much of South America. Common names include waterleaf, cariru, Surinam purslane, Philippine spinach, Ceylon spinach, Florida spinach, potherb fameflower, Lagos bologi, and sweetheart...
  
  (L.) Juss. (as P. fruticosa L. or P. triangularis Jacq.)
• Talinum paniculatum
  Talinum paniculatum
  Talinum paniculatum is a succulent subshrub in the purslane family, Portulacaceae, that is native to the Southern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America. It is commonly known as Jewels-of-Opar, a name borrowed from the title of the novel Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by...
  
  (Jacq.) Gaertn. (as P. paniculata Jacq. or P. patens L.)