Sesuvium portulacastrum
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| Sesuvium portulacastrum | ||||||||||||||
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| Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. |
Sesuvium portulacastrum, commonly known as Shoreline Purslane or (ambiguously) "sea purslane", is a sprawling perennial herb that grows in coastal areas throughout much of the world.
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[edit] Description
It grows as a sprawling perennial herb up to 30 centimetres high, with thick, smooth stems up to a metre long. It has smooth, fleshy, glossy green leaves that are linear or lanceolate, from 10 to 70 millimetres long and 2 to 15 millimetres wide. Flowers are pink or purple.[1][2]
[edit] Taxonomy
It was first published as Portulaca portulacastrum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[3] Six years later Linnaeus transferred it into Sesuvium,[4] and it has remained at that name ever since, with the exception of an unsuccessful 1891 attempt by Otto Kuntze to transfer the species into a new genus as Halimus portulacastrum.[5]
[edit] Distribution and habitat
It grows in sandy clay, coastal limestone and sandstone, tidal flats and salt marshes,[2] throughout much of the world. It is native to Africa, Asia, Australia, North America and South America, and has naturalised in many places where it is not indigenous.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Prescott, A. and Venning, J. (1984). "Aizoaceae", Flora of Australia, Volume 4: Phytolaccaceae to Chenopodiaceae. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
- ^ a b Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L.. FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
- ^ Portulaca portulacastrum L.. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- ^ Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L.. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- ^ Halimus portulacastrum (L.) Kuntze. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- ^ Sesuvium portulacastrum at the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)
