portulaca

[ pawr-chuh-lak-uh, pohr- ]

noun

any of various fleshy-leaved plants of the genus Portulaca, especially P. grandiflora, widely cultivated for its showy, variously colored flowers.

Origin of portulaca

1540–50; <New Latin, genus name, Latin: purslane

Words Nearby portulaca

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use portulaca in a sentence

portulaca smiles at you, you know, when you get up soon enough in the morning to see it in its glory.
The Master of Warlock | George Cary Eggleston
Old-fashioned portulaca makes a pretty low-growing green for a fern dish.
The Kitchen Encyclopedia | Anonymous
A pea-plant, with ternate leaves, and fine yellow blossoms, was found near our camp: portulaca was very abundant.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia | Ludwig Leichhardt
portulaca, with terete leaves, grows sparingly on the mild rich soil.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia | Ludwig Leichhardt
Pigweed: portulaca, or the native purslane, a creeping annual of a reddish-green colour and an excellent vegetable.
Journal of Landsborough's Expedition from Carpentaria | William Landsborough

British Dictionary definitions for portulaca

portulaca

/ (ˌpɔːtjʊˈlækə, -ˈleɪkə) /

noun

any portulacaceous plant of the genus Portulaca, such as rose moss and purslane, of tropical and subtropical America, having yellow, pink, or purple showy flowers

Origin of portulaca

C16: from Latin: purslane

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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