Also known as shoreline purslane, this evergreen succulent perennial is native to coastal areas throughout the world where it grows in salt and freshwater marshes, along beach dunes, and in salt flats. It is a member of the iceplant family, Aizoaceae, that also includes rock rose, New Zealand spinach, and “living stones”. The plant grows up to 12″ tall and has a sprawling habit with thick, smooth, reddish-green, branched stems about 3′ long. The fleshy lanceolate leaves are .4-2.7 ” long and are green but may turn yellow to reddish with maturity. Throughout the growing season the plants produce small star-shaped flowers in the leaf axils. The flowers lack petals but have 5 colorful pink to purple sepals that open and close in a single day. The fruit is a small pod containing many small black shiny seeds. Sea purslane grows very rapidly and forms an attractive mat by adventitious roots forming at nodes along the stems. It is drought, heat, and salt tolerant and and is a good choice for a seaside garden as well as for stabilizing dunes. The leaves can be eaten raw or pickled. The genus name, Sesuvium, honors the area inhabited by the Sesuvii, a Gallic tribe mentioned by Caesar. The specific epithet, portulacastrum, comes from the Latin words portula, meaning little gate, referring to the gate-like opening of the seed capsules of the genus Portulaca, plants that are similar to sea purslane.
Type: Evergreen succulent perennial
Bloom: Small pink to purple flowers throughout the growing season
Size: 6-12″ H
Light: Full sun
Soil: Sandy, moist to dry, well-drained, acidic to alkaline
Hardiness: Zones 8-11
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: None of significance
Propagation: Division, seed
Companion Plants: Seaside golden rod, beach sunflower, beach morning glory, bay bean
Photo Credit: Forest & Kim Starr Wikipedia