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GENERAL
Origin
:
sub-tropical,
tropical
Vigour
:
normal growth
rate, fairly fast
growing, fast
growing
Humidity
:
semi-humid, very
humid, extremely
humid
Propagation :
sowing and
pricking out,
cuttings
Maintenance :
low
CONDITIONS
Dessication :
resistant
Stagnant water :
resistant
Irrigation
:
low, medium
Salinity/ppm :
very high (15000
ppm)
Hardiness
:
-6°C
SHAPE
Type
:
cacti, succulents
Height
:
0.1 m-0.3 m
Spread
:
1 m-2 m
Foliage
:
evergreen
FLOWER
Colour
:
pink
Size
:
2 cm
Period
:
March - August
FRUIT
Type of fruit :
capsule
Fruit size
:
1 cm
Toxicity
:
edible when
processed, leaf
Sesuvium, or Shoreline Purslane, is one of those plants that is somehow introduced into a country,
adapts quickly and is then seen everywhere. A sprawling, perennial herb, native on four conti-
nents, it has been seen increasingly in Arriyadh over the past ten years, and has become one of
the toughest groundcovers there. Prostrate, up to 30 cm high, its stems extend up to 1 metre long,
with smooth, fleshy, glossy-green, lanceolate leaves. With its many branches, rooting at the nodes,
one plant will form a mat up to 2 metres in diameter. The small, pink flowers have green sepals on
the outside and are pink on the inside. They flower all year round; the fruit is an inconspicuous
capsule. Very fast growing, they thrive on wet to moist, saline and nutrient-poor soils, with or wi-
thout humus; saltwater tolerance is extremely high. Drought tolerance is equally high and, once
established, the plants require virtually no irrigation, although watering once or twice during the
hot summer will result in better ground coverage and appearance. S. portulacastrum needs full
sun and is relatively frost-tolerant in Arriyadh. It is easily propagated by cuttings and seed. Pests
and diseases have not been reported. With its spreading mat of greenery, S. portulacastrum is
something of a lawn substitute, providing instant green cover, especially good for roadside plan-
ting and medians. It is also an important sand stabilizer. Generally maintenance is very low, but
plants are not very resistant to trampling, so that weeding a large area is difficult.
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Sesuvium portulacastrum,
Aizoaceae
Sesuvium,
Shoreline Purslane