Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Portulaca pilosa (Chisme)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Portulaca pilosa L.

Chisme, Kiss me quick

Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)

USDA Symbol: popi3

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A prostrate, fleshy, branching plant with small, pink or purplish flowers at the end of branches with tufts of whitish hairs in the leaf axils.

This low, sprawling, native plant is similar to the Garden Portulaca (P. grandiflora), which also has tufts of hair in the leaf axils but larger flowers to 2 (5 cm) wide. Introduced from South America, it is a popular garden annual which often escapes from cultivation. The Latin name, for little gate, describes the lid on the fruit capsule.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Fibrous
Size Notes: Less than 6 inches.
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 0-1 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CO , FL , GA , HI , KS , LA , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NM , NV , OK , SC , TN , TX
Native Distribution: Coastal plain; North Carolina south to Florida; west to Texas.
Native Habitat: Dry, sandy soil; disturbed areas.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), HI(I), PR(N), VI(I)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low , Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
Conditions Comments: Chisme (Spanish for gossip) spreads like gossip from seed, though easily removed. The low growing annual fills in nicely around other larger plants and displays attractive fuchsia flowers in the summer. Works well in a rock garden, as a groundcover or in a pot. Needs good drainage.

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
National Butterfly Center - Mission, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 1093 Collected August 15, 1996 in Bexar County by Mike Fox
NPSOT 1058 Collected Sep 8, 1995 in Comal County by Mary Beth White

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-MM-749 Collected 2010-07-14 in Lampasas County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Portulaca pilosa in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Portulaca pilosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Portulaca pilosa

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back