Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Tiny

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Arid scrubland

Range

The Americas

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

The shaggy portulaca is a succulent that grows in sandy soils across the Americas. Its pink flowers remain open only during the brightest hours of the day to avoid water loss.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Caryophyllales

Family

Portulacaceae

Genus

Portulaca

Species

Portulaca pilosa