Sesuvium portulacastrum
Species of succulent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sesuvium portulacastrum is a sprawling perennial herb in the family Aizoaceae that grows in coastal and mangrove areas throughout much of the world.[3] It grows in sandy clay, coastal limestone and sandstone, tidal flats and salt marshes,[4] throughout much of the world. It is native to Africa, Asia, Australia, Hawai`i, North America and South America, and has naturalised in many places where it is not indigenous.[5]
| Sesuvium portulacastrum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Aizoaceae |
| Genus: | Sesuvium |
| Species: | S. portulacastrum |
| Binomial name | |
| Sesuvium portulacastrum | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Synonymy
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It is commonly known as shoreline purslane[6] or (ambiguously) "sea purslane," in English, dampalit in Tagalog and 海马齿 hǎimǎchǐ in Chinese.
Description
Sesuvium portulacastrum is a vine up to 30 centimetres (12 in) high, with thick, smooth stems up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. It has smooth, fleshy, glossy green leaves that are linear or lanceolate, from 1–7 centimetres (0.39–2.76 in) long and 2–1.5 centimetres (0.79–0.59 in) wide.[7][4]
Its flowers bud from the leaf axils. They are small, 0.5 centimetres (0.20 in) in diameter and pink or purple in colour.[7][4] They close at nighttime or when the sky is cloudy. They are pollinated by bees and moths.[3]
The fruit is a round capsule, it has tiny black seeds that do not float.[3]
Taxonomy
It was first published as Portulaca portulacastrum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[8] Six years later Linnaeus transferred it into Sesuvium,[9] and it has remained at that name ever since, with the exception of an unsuccessful 1891 attempt by Otto Kuntze to transfer the species into a new genus as Halimus portulacastrum.[10]
Chemistry and medicine
Fatty acid composition:- palmitic acid (31.18%), oleic acid (21.15%), linolenic acid (14.18%) linoleic acid (10.63%), myristic acid (6.91%) and behenic acid (2.42%) The plant extract showed antibacterial and anticandidal activities and moderate antifungal activity.[11]
Human consumption
Sesuvium portulacastrum is eaten in the Philippines, where it is called dampalit in Tagalog and "bilang" or "bilangbilang" in the Visayan language.[12] The plant is primarily pickled and eaten as atchara (sweet traditional pickles).