Loading profile. Please wait . . .
Portulaca coronata Small
Flatrock Portulaca
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G5T2
State Rank: S2
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No
2025 SGCN Priority Tier:
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 7
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Granite outcrops; Altamaha Grit outcrops
Annual herb with fibrous roots and sprawling to nearly erect, succulent branches 2 - 8 inches long (5 - 20 cm), hairy only at the leaf nodes, otherwise smooth. Leaf blades up to 1.4 inches long and 0.6 inch wide (1 - 3.5 cm long and 0.2 - 1.5 cm wide), alternate, succulent, flattened, oval or spoon-shaped with blunt tips (sometimes with a short, sharp point at the tip) and very short or no leaf stalks. Flowers usually open only in the morning sun, each about 0.5 inch (0.8 - 1.5 cm) wide, with 5 - 7 yellow petals, 3 - 18 stigmas, and 7 - 30 stamens. Fruit is a small, oval capsule 3 - 5 mm in diameter, encircled by a wing of tissue and containing many gray, round or elongated, seeds.
Some botanical experts recognize three separate species: Portulaca coronata (the subject of this profile), P. lanceolata, and P. umbraticola. Portulaca lanceolata (= P. umbraticola ssp. lanceolata) occurs to the west of Georgia, from Mississippi to Arizona; its petals are bicolored–yellow tipped with red or copper. Portulaca umbraticola ssp. umbraticola is a native of South America and the West Indies that is widely sold in the horticultural trade as a cultivar named ‘Wildfire Mixed.’ It occasionally escapes from cultivation. Its flowers may be yellow, orange, copper, bronze, or white.
Wingpod Purslane occurs with a rare species, Grit Portulaca (Portulaca biloba), on Altamaha Grit outcrops in the Coastal Plain. It is also a succulent plant, but its flowers are dark pink and its leaves are round in cross-section with pointed tips. For more information, see: https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=16655
Wingpod Purslane occurs on or around granite outcrops in the Piedmont and Altamaha Grit outcrops in the Coastal Plain.
Wingpod Purslane is an annual plant that reproduces only by seed. The flowers are bisexual and are open for only a few hours each morning when it is sunny. They are pollen- and nectar-rich and are probably pollinated by small bees. Argentinian populations of Portulaca umbraticola were found to be capable of self-fertilization, but full fruit and seed set resulted only when flowers were pollinated by insects, primarily small bees. The seeds are dispersed by gravity and by small animals. A related species, Portulaca oleracea, is a C4 plant, which allows for more efficient photosynthesis in hot, dry environments so it is likely that Wingpod Purslane is also a C4 plant.
Wingpod Purslane plants are most conspicuous during flowering (June–September), but the plants are also recognizable by their sprawling or semi-erect branching habit, fleshy stems, leaf shape, and winged fruit during other times in the growing season.
Georgia and South Carolina.
Piedmont granite outcrops are threatened by mining, trash dumping, off-road vehicle traffic, and development. Altamaha Grit outcrops are threatened by encroachment of woody and/or invasive plants if surrounding pinelands are left unburned for long periods; off-road vehicle traffic is also a threat to Altamaha Grit sites.
Portulaca umbraticola ssp. coronata is ranked S2 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is imperiled in the state. Seven populations were documented between 1894 and 1987 but have not been confirmed since.
Protect Piedmont granite outcrops and Altamaha Grit outcrops from disturbance, including mining, vehicle traffic, and trash dumping. Purchase outcrops for conservation or create conservation easements. Monitor sites for invasive plant encroachment and eradicate these plants as soon possible. Visit historical sites to determine current status of this species.
Aizen, M.A. 1993. Self-pollination shortens flower lifespan in Portulaca umbraticola H.B.K. (Portulacaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 154(3):412-415. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/297123
GADNR. 2019. Element occurrence records for Portulaca umbraticola ssp. coronata. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. Social Circle, Georgia.
Matthews, J.F. 2003. Species account for Portulaca umbraticola ssp. coronata. Flora of North America North of Mexico, vol. 4. http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Portulaca_umbraticola_subsp._coronata
Matthews, J.F. and P.A. Levins. 1985. The genus Portulaca in the southeastern United States. Castanea 50(2): 96-104. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4033134?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Matthews, J.F., D.W. Ketron and S.F. Zane. 1992. Portulaca umbraticola Kunth. (Portulacaceae) in the United States. Castanea 57(3): 202-208. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4033710?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
NatureServe. 2019. Species account for Portulaca umbraticola ssp. coronata. NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.150181/Portulaca_umbraticola_ssp_coronata
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Linda G. Chafin
Linda G. Chafin, 20 November 2019: original account
