Scientific Family
Portulacaceae
Other common names
copper purlsane
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1 foot
Riparian
Yes
A low, semi-erect fleshy plant with narrow, cylindrical leaves and coppery orange flowers that open in the morning and close by midday.
Conspicuous long white hairs in leaf axils and inflorescense and copper-colored petals distinguish this from other Portulacaceae sp.
Habitat
Rocky slopes, flats, grasslands, roadsides, sandy or gravelly soils along streams.
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
6900
Flower Characteristics
Blooms spring to late summer. The flowers are up to 1 inch across and have 5 fan-shaped, notch-tipped petals with dark reddish-orange at their base.
Flower color
Orange, brownish-orange, copper
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are needle-like, succulent, round in cross-section, and up to 1 inch long. The erect stems are succulent. Stems are hairy at the leaf nodes and in the inflorescences.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit type
Capsule
Seeds are black with a row of small bumps along one side and sometimes iridescent.