Sesuvium verrucosum

Western sea-purslane, Western Sea-Purslane

Family: Aizoaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Western sea-purslane is a California native perennial found in northern coastal, Central Valley, southern coastal ranges, southern coastal, western Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and Desert bioregions in moist or seasonally dry saline flats at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from April to November, this plant produces red-tinged flowers with fused filaments in small axillary clusters. Growing with multiple branching stems up to 90 centimeters tall, it forms a low, spreading mat with minute papillate (warty) texture. Its leaves are distinctive, ranging from 0.5 to 4 centimeters long, linear to spoon-shaped, and clasping the stem at the base. When mature, the plant produces smooth fruits 4 to 5 millimeters long with tiny seeds less than a millimeter in size.

Habitat: Uncommon. Moist or seasonally dry flats, margins of generally saline wetlands

Bloom period: Apr-Nov

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: NCo, GV, SCoRO, SCo, WTR, PR, GB, D

California counties: Yolo, Los Angeles, Merced, Fresno, Orange, San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Kern, San Diego, Inyo, Santa Barbara, El Dorado, Marin, San Joaquin, Solano, Tulare, Kings, Contra Costa, Lassen, Napa, Stanislaus, San Luis Obispo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.