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Common Purslane

Portulaca oleracea

66
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
1–2 inches
Spread
6 inches–1.5 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to average

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual

Not yet recorded · Leaves · Bloom

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

Recorded in 52 Florida counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 116 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

19CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Portulaca

  • Aetole bellaBeautiful Sunspur
  • 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
  • Feltia repletaReplete Dart
  • Hellula rogatalisCabbage Webworm
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Show all 19
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Strymon istapaMallow Scrub-Hairstreak, Dotted Hairstreak; Modest Hairstreak, [Columella Hairstreak : former mis-applied name]
  • Achyra bifidalis
  • Aetole schulzella
  • Coleophora texanella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Portulaca

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist 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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Portulacaceae
Hardiness
Zones 2a–11b
Flower color
Yellow

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankSNA
Global rankGU
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources