Image: Portulaca in Kadavoor

Description: Portulaca grandiflora, Moss-rose Purslane or Moss-rose, is a flowering plant in the family Portulacaceae, native to Argentina, Southern Brazil, and Uruguay. It is also seen in South Asia and widely spread in most of the cities with old 18th-19th century architecture in the Balkans. It is called "Time Flower", because the flower has a specific time to bloom. It is also called "Ten o'clock flower", because the flower is usually in full bloom at 10 o'clock in the morning. It is a small, but fast-growing annual plant growing to 30 cm tall, though usually less. However if it is cultivated properly it can easily reach this height. The leaves are thick and fleshy, up to 2.5 cm long, arranged alternately or in small clusters. The flowers are 2.5–3 cm diameter with five petals, variably red, orange, pink, white, and yellow. Numerous cultivars have been selected for double flowers with additional petals, and for variation in flower color, and it is widely grown in temperate climates as an ornamental plant for annual bedding or as a container plant. It requires ample sunlight and well-drained soils. It requires almost no attention and spreads itself very easily. In places with old architecture it can grow between the stones of the road or sidewalk.
Title: Portulaca in Kadavoor
Credit: Own work
Author: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India
Permission: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publishes it under the following license:
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
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