Sesuvium portulacastrum

Sesuvium portulacastrum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Aizoaceae
Genus:	Sesuvium
Species:	S. portulacastrum
Binomial name
Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L.

Sesuvium portulacastrum (Tagalog:Dampalit), commonly known as shoreline purslane or (ambiguously) "sea purslane", is a sprawling perennial herb that grows in coastal areas throughout much of the world.

Description

It grows as a sprawling perennial herb up to 30 centimetres (12 in) high, with thick, smooth stems up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. It has smooth, fleshy, glossy green leaves that are linear or lanceolate, from 10–70 millimetres (0.39–2.8 in) long and 2–15 millimetres (0.079–0.59 in) wide. Flowers are pink or purple.

Taxonomy

It was first published as Portulaca portulacastrum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Six years later Linnaeus transferred it into Sesuvium, 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.

Distribution and habitat

It grows in sandy clay, coastal limestone and sandstone, tidal flats and salt marshes, 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.

External links

• Online Field guide to Common Saltmarsh Plants of Queensland