Code
PORQU
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual
Habitat
Terrestrial
PORQU
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual
Habitat
Terrestrial
🗒 Synonyms
| synonym | Illecebrum verticillatum Burm. fil. |
| synonym | Meridiana elliptica Poir. |
| synonym | Meridiana quadrifida (L.) Poir. |
| synonym | Portulaca anceps A. Rich. |
| synonym | Portulaca chariensis Chev. |
| synonym | Portulaca diptera Zipp. ex Span. |
| synonym | Portulaca elatinoides Chev. |
| synonym | Portulaca formosana (Hayata) Hayata |
| synonym | Portulaca geniculata Royle |
| synonym | Portulaca imbricata Forssk. |
| synonym | Portulaca linifolia Forssk. |
| synonym | Portulaca meridiana L. fil. |
| synonym | Portulaca microphylla A. Rich. |
| synonym | Portulaca parensis Poelln. |
| synonym | Portulaca pseudoquadrifida Poelln. |
| synonym | Portulaca quadrifida var. formosana Hayata |
| synonym | Portulaca quadrifida var. meridiana (L. fil.) DC. |
| synonym | Portulaca rediviva Wawra |
| synonym | Portulaca repens Roxb. ex Wight & Arn. |
| synonym | Portulaca rubens Chev. |
| synonym | Portulaca squarrosa Peter |
| synonym | Portulaca walteriana Poelln. |
🗒 Common Names
| Creoles and pidgins; French-based |
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| English |
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| Other |
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📚 Overview
Description
Global description
Portulaca quadrifida is a succulent prostrate plant. The leaves are lanceolate and petiolate, with a stipular collar ciliated at the base. The flowers, yellow in color, are solitary and terminal. They include 2 sepals welded at the base and 4 free petals. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule, containing numerous orbicular, finely tuberculous seeds.
Cotyledons
The cotyledons are elliptic to linear, 3 to 5 mm long and 2 mm wide. The top is in wide corner and the base is rounded. The blade is thick, succulent, perfectly smooth and glabrous on both sides. The underside is usually tinged with purple. Very early cotyledonary buds develop, giving a prostrate stain-like habit, characteristic of the adult.
First leaves
The first leaves are opposite. They are borne by a short petiole. The limb is lanceolate and succulent as the whole plant. The lower side of the limb is tinged with purple. A stipular collar of 3 to 4 mm bristles is present at each node.
General habit
Portulaca quadrifida is totally prostrate. The plant is abundantly branched from the base and develops into a patch centered on the main root. These patches can measure 60 cm in diameter, forming a dense and flush carpet.
Underground system
The main root is a taproot. New roots can develop from the nodes of the twigs.
Stem
The stem is cylindrical, thick, solid and succulent. It is pubescent at the level of the nodes (stipular collar). It is usually tinged with purple.
Leaf
The leaves are opposite. They are borne by a short petiole. A stipular collar of 3 to 4 mm bristles is located in the axils of the leaves. The blade is lanceolate, with a rounded to acute apex and a rounded base. It is 3 to 8 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide. It is thick and succulent. The margin is whole and smooth. Both sides are glabrous. The main rib is marked by a longitudinal depression on the upper face of the blade. The leaves are green or purple.
Flower
The flowers are terminal and solitary. They are sessile, yellow in color and 3 to 5 mm wide. The calyx is composed of 2 broad sepals, whose base is welded to the ovary. The corolla includes 4 free petals. The stamens are 6 to 10. The ovary is surmounted by a style divided into 4 linear stigmas.
Fruit
The fruit is a dehiscent capsule of globular form. It is surmounted by the base of the 2 sepals. The dehiscence line is located at the equator of the capsule. It is 4 mm long and contains many seeds.
Seed
The seeds are orbicular, with a diameter of 0.5 mm. The tegument is black and marked with circular, finely tuberculous lines.
Portulaca quadrifida is a succulent prostrate plant. The leaves are lanceolate and petiolate, with a stipular collar ciliated at the base. The flowers, yellow in color, are solitary and terminal. They include 2 sepals welded at the base and 4 free petals. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule, containing numerous orbicular, finely tuberculous seeds.
Cotyledons
The cotyledons are elliptic to linear, 3 to 5 mm long and 2 mm wide. The top is in wide corner and the base is rounded. The blade is thick, succulent, perfectly smooth and glabrous on both sides. The underside is usually tinged with purple. Very early cotyledonary buds develop, giving a prostrate stain-like habit, characteristic of the adult.
First leaves
The first leaves are opposite. They are borne by a short petiole. The limb is lanceolate and succulent as the whole plant. The lower side of the limb is tinged with purple. A stipular collar of 3 to 4 mm bristles is present at each node.
General habit
Portulaca quadrifida is totally prostrate. The plant is abundantly branched from the base and develops into a patch centered on the main root. These patches can measure 60 cm in diameter, forming a dense and flush carpet.
Underground system
The main root is a taproot. New roots can develop from the nodes of the twigs.
Stem
The stem is cylindrical, thick, solid and succulent. It is pubescent at the level of the nodes (stipular collar). It is usually tinged with purple.
Leaf
The leaves are opposite. They are borne by a short petiole. A stipular collar of 3 to 4 mm bristles is located in the axils of the leaves. The blade is lanceolate, with a rounded to acute apex and a rounded base. It is 3 to 8 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide. It is thick and succulent. The margin is whole and smooth. Both sides are glabrous. The main rib is marked by a longitudinal depression on the upper face of the blade. The leaves are green or purple.
Flower
The flowers are terminal and solitary. They are sessile, yellow in color and 3 to 5 mm wide. The calyx is composed of 2 broad sepals, whose base is welded to the ovary. The corolla includes 4 free petals. The stamens are 6 to 10. The ovary is surmounted by a style divided into 4 linear stigmas.
Fruit
The fruit is a dehiscent capsule of globular form. It is surmounted by the base of the 2 sepals. The dehiscence line is located at the equator of the capsule. It is 4 mm long and contains many seeds.
Seed
The seeds are orbicular, with a diameter of 0.5 mm. The tegument is black and marked with circular, finely tuberculous lines.
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
No Data
📚 Nomenclature and Classification
No Data
📚 Natural History
Life Cycle
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Northern Cameroon: The germination of Portulaca quadrifida occurs during June when rains are regular and the soil is moist. This germination phase takes place until July, but new emergence can occur until September following cultural operations such as weeding or hilling. The first flowers bloom very quickly, after 3 to 4 weeks of vegetation. The capsules open, releasing the seeds, a month later. The plant continues to grow, flower and produce seeds as long as soil moisture conditions are sufficient.
Mayotte: Portulaca quadrifida flowers from October to April and fruits from November to May.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Cyclicity
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Portulaca quadrifida behaves as an annual species in dry seasoned areas, but can persist throughout the year in moist soils. It multiplies by seeds. These are dispersed mainly by wind and water. This species also has excellent cuttings and can develop from stem fragments.
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Ecology
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Northern Cameroon: Portulaca quadrifida grows particularly in the Sahelo-Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian zones with an annual rainfall of between 600 and 1,200 mm. This species grows on moist, clay soils. It is frequently found on poor soils with rock outcrops or in the process of degradation such as fersialitic soils or degraded vertic soils. It is a heliophilous species that grows in open areas. It is a ruderal species common in vacant lots and along roads on compacted soils.
Mayotte : Portulaca quadrifida is a native species quite common in cliffs and rocks of the coast. It is also a species of urban areas.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Habitat and Distribution
General Habitat
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Origin
Portulaca quadrifida is a species native to tropical Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India and South East Asia.
Worldwide distribution
This species was introduced in the Caribbean.
Portulaca quadrifida is a species native to tropical Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India and South East Asia.
Worldwide distribution
This species was introduced in the Caribbean.
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Occurrence
No Data
📚 Demography and Conservation
Risk Statement
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Local harmfulness
Northern Cameroon: Portulaca quadrifida is an important weed in irrigated crops and off-season crops on temporarily flooded soil. It remains a minor weed in rainfed crops such as cotton, maize, peanuts and sorghum. In these cultures, it is never abundant.
Northern Cameroon: Portulaca quadrifida is an important weed in irrigated crops and off-season crops on temporarily flooded soil. It remains a minor weed in rainfed crops such as cotton, maize, peanuts and sorghum. In these cultures, it is never abundant.
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Uses and Management
📚 Information Listing
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
References
- Ivens G. W., 1989. East African Weeds and Their Control. Oxford University Press, Nairobi, Kenya, 289p.
- Hutchinson J., Dalziel J. M., Keay R. W. J. & Hepper F. N., 1954. Flora of West Tropical Africa. Vol. I part. 1. 2ème éd. The Whitefriars Press ed., London & Tonbridge, 295p.
- Le Bourgeois, T. and H. Merlier (1995). Adventrop - Les adventices d'Afrique soudano-sahélienne. Montpellier, France, Cirad.637p.
- Merlier H. & Montégut J., 1982. Adventices tropicales. ORSTOM-GERDAT-ENSH éd., Montpellier, France, 490p.
- Akobundu I.O. & Agyakwa C.W., 1989. Guide des adventices d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Institut international d'agriculture tropicale. Ibadan, Nigeria, 521p.
- Berhaut J., 1967. Flore du Sénégal. 2ème éd. Clairafrique éd., Dakar, Sénégal, 485p.
- Le Bourgeois Th., 1993. Les mauvaises herbes dans la rotation cotonnière au Nord-Cameroun (Afrique) - Amplitude d'habitat et degré d'infestation - Cycle de développement. Thèse USTL Montpellier II, Montpellier, France, 241p.
- Ivens G. W., Moody K. & Egunjobi J. K., 1978. West African Weeds. Oxford University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria, 255p.
- Holm L. G., Plucknett D. L., Pancho J. V. & Herberger J. P., 1977. The World's Worst Weeds : Distribution and Biologie. East-West Center, University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, 609p.
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 687 p.
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:699334-1
Information Listing > References
- Ivens G. W., 1989. East African Weeds and Their Control. Oxford University Press, Nairobi, Kenya, 289p.
- Hutchinson J., Dalziel J. M., Keay R. W. J. & Hepper F. N., 1954. Flora of West Tropical Africa. Vol. I part. 1. 2ème éd. The Whitefriars Press ed., London & Tonbridge, 295p.
- Le Bourgeois, T. and H. Merlier (1995). Adventrop - Les adventices d'Afrique soudano-sahélienne. Montpellier, France, Cirad.637p.
- Merlier H. & Montégut J., 1982. Adventices tropicales. ORSTOM-GERDAT-ENSH éd., Montpellier, France, 490p.
- Akobundu I.O. & Agyakwa C.W., 1989. Guide des adventices d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Institut international d'agriculture tropicale. Ibadan, Nigeria, 521p.
- Berhaut J., 1967. Flore du Sénégal. 2ème éd. Clairafrique éd., Dakar, Sénégal, 485p.
- Le Bourgeois Th., 1993. Les mauvaises herbes dans la rotation cotonnière au Nord-Cameroun (Afrique) - Amplitude d'habitat et degré d'infestation - Cycle de développement. Thèse USTL Montpellier II, Montpellier, France, 241p.
- Ivens G. W., Moody K. & Egunjobi J. K., 1978. West African Weeds. Oxford University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria, 255p.
- Holm L. G., Plucknett D. L., Pancho J. V. & Herberger J. P., 1977. The World's Worst Weeds : Distribution and Biologie. East-West Center, University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, 609p.
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 687 p.
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:699334-1
Images
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Portulaca%2520quadrifida
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
No Data
🐾 Taxonomy
| Root | Root |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Caryophyllales |
| Family | Portulacaceae |
| Genus | Portulaca |
| Species | Portulaca quadrifida L. |
📊 Temporal Distribution
📷 Related Observations
