portulaca

por·tu·lac·a

 (pôr′chə-lăk′ə)

n.

Any of various succulent plants of the genus Portulaca, especially P. grandiflora of South America, cultivated for its showy colorful flowers that open only in sunlight. Also called moss rose, rose moss.

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[Middle English, from Latin portulāca, purslane, from portula, diminutive of porta, gate (from the gatelike covering of the seed capsule); see per- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

portulaca

(ˌpɔːtjʊˈlækə; -ˈleɪkə)

n

(Plants) 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

[C16: from Latin: purslane]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

portulaca - a plant of the genus Portulaca having pink or red or purple or white ephemeral flowers flower - a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms genus Portulaca - genus of mainly tropical fleshy or trailing herbs Portulaca grandiflora, rose moss, sun plant - widely cultivated in many varieties for its fleshy moss-like foliage and profusion of brightly colored flowers

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