Paraguayan Purslane

Portulaca amilis

Found in sandy fields, lawns, and other dry, sandy, disturbed habitats. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—

Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 59%

Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Portulaca amilis — flower photograph — Douglas Goldman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Bloom: May to September

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 16 Alabama counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Portulaca

Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
Hellula rogatalisCabbage Webworm
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth

Show all 14

Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Coleophora texanella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

7BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Portulaca

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Portulacaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Alabama rank	Not available
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden