Integrative Biology 335:
Systematics of Plants

Families of the Caryophyllales:
"Portulacaceae"

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Readings:

Judd et al., 3rd edition, Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach (p. 328 – 330)

Other Resources:

Digital Flowers: Portulacaceae

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Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)

Habit:

• Distribution
• Annual or perennial herbs, less often shrubs or small trees
• Betalain pigments present

Claytonia habit

Leaves:

• Alternate, opposite, or basal; simple, entire
• Often succulent

Flowers:

• Perfect, actinomorphic
• Sepals 2 and persistent (your textbook considers these bracts)
• Petals 5 to many (some consider these sepals [or tepals] and, therefore, petals absent)
• Carpels 2-9, syncarpous
• Ovary superior or rarely half-inferior
• 1-locular with 2-many basal or free central ovules

Claytonia

Note stamens opposite petals

Note two persistent sepals (and three stigmas)

Portulaca

Note half-inferior ovary

Inflorescence:

• Flowers solitary or cymes, racemes, or heads

Fruits:

• Capsules, sometimes circumscissle (pyxis), rarely a nut

Claytonia and Portulaca fruits

Note loculicidally dehiscent capsule (3 valves) in Claytonia

Note pyxis, a capsule with circumscissle dehiscence, in Portulaca

Portulacaceae Class Notes

Portulacaceae Illustration from Zomlefer, page 57

Portulacaceae Illustration from Judd et al., page 329

Examples:

Claytonia virginica (spring beauty)

Lewisia rediviva (bitter root)

Portulaca grandiflora (rose-moss)

Portulaca oleracea (purslane)

Talinum (flameflower)

Talinum rugospermum (flower-of-the-hour)

These images show clearly the two sepals (bracts) and five petals (tepals)

Talinum habit

Talinum flower L.S.

Talinum fruit

Talinum fruit dehiscence

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