Japanese name: マツバボタン（松葉牡丹） Scientific name:Portulaca grandiflora
[Overview]
A succulent annual about 25 cm tall.
The stem is cylindrical, much branched, and spreads by creeping along the ground.
The leaves are simple and alternate, cylindrical, 1–2 cm long, with many white hairs growing in the leaf axils.
Flowers more than 3 cm across are borne a few at a time at the stem tips.
The flowers are surrounded by many leaves and long hairs.
The wild species has pale pink to reddish purple flowers with 5 petals, but garden cultivars come in a wide range of flower colors, and double-flowered ones also exist.
The flowers open on sunny days and wilt by noon.
The fruit is a pyxis; when ripe the lid comes off and black seeds emerge.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or stem cuttings.
The optimum temperature for germination is 20–25°C.
The seeds are fine, so sow them in plastic pots and transplant, or sow directly where you want them to grow.
It prefers heat, sun and well-drained soil.
Take care not to let it become too wet; for potted plants, water thoroughly after the soil has dried, and for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
If base fertilizer is applied, no further fertilizer is particularly necessary, but for potted plants liquid fertilizer may be given once a week during the flowering period.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
