Common Purslane: Identification and Management

• Growth habit: prostrate with branching stems, forming a low mat usually around 6 inches tall; an entire plant can span 2 to 4 feet across when mature
• Flowers: yellow, with 5 petals, less than ½ inch across; only open when exposed to the sun (flowers close in cloudy weather, in shade, or in the evening); sessile (they are not held away from the stem on a stalk)
• Leaves: obovate, wedge- or paddle-shaped (widest near the tip and narrowest at the base), rounded at the tip, with entire margins (no serrations on the leaf edge) and a smooth surface (hairless)
  • thick, waxy-textured, and succulent
  • sessile (stalkless), or nearly so (for seedlings)
  • may be green or blushed with red; seedling leaves are usually maroon-red on their undersides
  • leaf arrangement can be alternate or appear to be opposite, but is usually opposite in seedlings
• Stems: smooth; succulent; may be reddish (even if the leaves are green), especially on older growth

Common purslane is a summer annual: seeds germinate in spring, the plants grow and bloom in summer, and ripen seeds prior to dying by autumn. Annual plants have a one-year life cycle.

This species spreads by seed. Seeds can survive in the soil for decades, and germinate when soil surface temperatures have reached at least 75 to 86°F (generally from late May through early August).

A stem broken into fragments may root at the nodes, but otherwise, intact stems tend to not root at the nodes.

Common purslane can take advantage of the exposed soil in newly-seeded turf, as well as colonize spaces between crops in vegetable gardens due to its preference for rich soil. As a succulent, it is adaptable to dry soils, and can grow in the crevices between walkway pavers or bricks as well as in driveway cracks. It tolerates full sun, heat, and drought in sandy, nutrient-poor, compacted soil.

General lawn care practices that discourage weeds

Maintain healthy, dense turf that can compete with weeds and prevent weed germination and establishment. Fertilize the lawn as recommended (based on season and turf type), mow high, and overseed cool-season lawns each autumn to keep the lawn dense and better able to crowd-out seedling weeds. Core-aerate to reduce soil compaction. Learn about fertilizing, mowing, overseeding, and aeration in the resource: Maintaining an Established Lawn.

Lawn care and maintenance

Mechanical management

Remove purslane plants by hand (including the thick taproot) or with a manual weeding tool. Doing this when the soil is moist makes the task easier. Pulling up or digging out individual plants is a viable option at the beginning of an infestation (when the plants are not yet abundant) and for young purslane plants.

Dispose of removed plants (do not leave them on the soil surface or in a passive compost pile) if they have begun to flower, because any seed pods may continue to ripen after the plant has been pulled up. Common purslane can begin to bloom as soon as a month after germinating (once it has about a dozen leaves), with seed maturation occurring as soon as a week after bloom.

Manage Weeds Without Chemicals

Chemical management

Herbicide use should always be a last resort when managing weeds. Check for any local pesticide restrictions before buying and applying a product. For example, the Montgomery County pesticide law does not allow most synthetic pesticides (which includes herbicides) to be used on lawns. The active ingredient glyphosate is also prohibited on lawns in Baltimore City.

Learn about herbicide classifications and terminology:

Herbicide Options for Managing Common Lawn Weeds

Post-emergent herbicide

Spot-treat individual purslane plants or infested areas with a liquid broadleaf herbicide applied when the weeds are actively growing. Look for a product with one or more of the following active ingredients: 2, 4-D, MCPP (mecoprop), dicamba, or triclopyr. An application of non-selective herbicide may work, but would also damage any turfgrass exposed to the herbicide.

CAUTION: Do not spray herbicides containing dicamba over the root zone of desirable trees and shrubs. Roots or leaves may absorb this ingredient and be substantially damaged. Refer to the product label for other precautions.