Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Scientific Name	*Portulaca pilosa* L.
Family	Portulacaceae (Purslane family)

Other Names

'Akulikuli (transl. "succulent"?)

Status

Alien

Distribution & Habitat

This is a pantropical species. In Hawaii it is found in dry, open areas such as strands and lava fields, ususally in the elevation range from sea level to 620 m. It occurs on all the main islands except Lana`i and Kaho`olawe (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074).

Locations in this Guide

Puimau Hot Spot

General Appearance

This is a succulent, perennial herb (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1072).

The stems are green on young plants and turn purplish red as the plant ages (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1072).

These plants have a tap root. This may be a problem for those plants growing at the Puhimau Hotspot.

Leaves

The leaves are 4 to15 mm long and 0.5 to 4 mm wide (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1072).

Flowers & Fruits

The flowers are magenta (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074). Seeds are dark blue with a metallic luster (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074).

Phenology

Natural History

This species was first introduced on Kaua`i and first collected in 1922 (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074).

Conservation

Miscellaneous Photos

Other Notes

References
Links to Other Sites

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Last Updated: 08/05/03