Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

desert horse purslane

Trianthema portulacastrum

Spanish: verdolaga

desert horse purslane (Trianthema portulacastrum)
Photographed by zihuadean on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Trianthema portulacastrum is a species of flowering plant in the ice plant family known by the common names desert horsepurslane, black pigweed, and giant pigweed. It is native to areas of several continents, including Africa and North and South America, and present as an introduced species in many other areas. It grows in a wide variety of habitat types and it can easily take hold in disturbed areas and cultivated land as a weed. It is...

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Aizoaceae
Local records9 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records5,607 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2020 – 2025
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “desert horse purslane (Trianthema portulacastrum) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/trianthema-portulacastrum/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.