Pink Purslane, Portulaca pilosa L.

Despite the smoke and record heat of the past week. . .some native flowers flourish in the gardens. Most Floridians would call them weeds. I think once they've been identified they merit a place in the garden.

This pink purslane (Portulaca pilosa L.), pictured above, is one weed that I leave in the gardens. It is very drought tolerant and doesn't take over the cultivated plants. . .

. . . the opposite of pink purslane is the day-flower (Commelina diffusa Burman), pictured below. This weed is relentless and probably near the top of my most hated weed list. Every joint of this weed grows a new root which makes a new plant. . . choking out everything in the garden if not regularly removed. . .painfully. . .by ungloved hand.



Pictured below, a more delicate weed is quite special in extreme closeup. From a distance it is so insignificant in the landscape that it doesn't even rate a common name. The scientific name for this weed is Chamaesyce hypericifolia. It is in the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family.

I think the smooth and slender stems of this weed make it garden-worthy. . . so it too gets a pass to stay. I also don't care for the milky sap it emits when I do attempt to move it.