Scientific Name
Portulaca oleracea 'Balriorg'
Common Name(s)
Purslane
Synonym(s)
Portulaca oleracea 'Rio Orange', Portulaca oleracea 'Rio Grande Orange'
Scientific Classification
Family: Portulacaceae
Subfamily: Portulacarioideae
Genus: Portulaca
Origin
Portulaca oleracea 'Balriorg' is one of the six cultivars of Portulaca oleracea, part of the Rio Series that originated from a controlled breeding program in Cartago, Costa Rica, in January 2002. The cultivars have all received US plant patents and are listed as follows:
- Portulaca oleracea 'Balriorose'
- Portulaca oleracea 'Balriorg'
- Portulaca oleracea 'Balrioscar'
- Portulaca oleracea 'Balrioapt'
- Portulaca oleracea 'Balriowite'
- Portulaca oleracea 'Balrioyel'
Description
Portulaca oleracea 'Balriorg', also known as Portulaca oleracea 'Rio Orange', is a trailing, free-flowering annual plant that can grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) tall and spread up to 12 inches (30 cm). The stems bear flat, fleshy, spatulate to ovate, succulent leaves. The leaves are medium green and can grow up to 1.25 inches (3.1 cm) long.
The orange flowers have five overlapping petals and can reach up to 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. When grown as an annual plant, they bloom continuously from spring to the first fall frost. When grown in a greenhouse, they will bloom year-round. The flowers usually do not open on cloudy or rainy days.
Hardiness
It is grown as an annual plant, so it has no USDA hardiness zone.
How to Grow and Care
Portulacas tolerate many kinds of soil but prefer sandy, well-drained soil and love full sunlight. These plants are excellent for high heat and drought tolerance and will grow and spread themselves well. Some control methods may be needed to keep Portulacas from becoming invasive in areas that are not wanted, but these beautiful plants spread quickly and very well.
These succulents require no attention when growing and flowering. However, you should remove them from the garden before Portulacas have a chance to set seeds, as they may take over the garden. You do not need to water often for proper Portulaca care. The cylindrical foliage of the plants retains moisture very well, so regular watering is not required. When they are watered, just a light watering will do, as their root zone is very shallow.
The seeds of Portulacas should be sown on the soil surface following the last frost of spring. Ideally, these plants should be grown in a sunny part of the garden. When starting Portulaca indoors, start about one and a half months in advance.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Portulaca.
Links
- Back to genus Portulaca
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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