Portulaca quadrifida

Cultivation Details

The plant is widespread in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 32°c, but can tolerate 16 - 36°c^[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 2,500mm^[2]. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. Tolerant of a wide range of soils but prefers sand or sandy loams^[1]. Plants can succeed in quite poor soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5^[2]. Plants can become troublesome weeds of cultivation, since they break up easily and even small fragments can grow into new plants^[3]. In addition, the seeds are easily spread by wind, water, with crop seeds or through bird droppings^[1]. The plants take about six to eight weeks to produce a crop from seed and can then be harvested every two weeks on a cut and come again principle^[2]. This species photosynthesizes by a more efficient method than most plants. Called the 'C4 carbon-fixation pathway', this process is particularly efficient at high temperatures, in bright sunlight and under dry conditions^{[4, 1]}. The flowers are said to open promptly at 10am, hence the English name 'ten o'clock plant'^[3].