Trianthema portulacastrum - Black Pig Weed

❏ Binomial Name : Trianthema portulacastrum L.

❏ Synonym : Portulaca toston,Trianthema flexuosum,Trianthema obcordata

❏ Family : Aizoaceae

❏ Common Name : Horse Purslane, Black Pig Weed

❏ Tamil Name : Pasalikeerai

❏ IUCN status: Not Evaluated

Trianthema portulacastrum Botanical Description

Prostrate or ascending succulent herbs; branchlets pubescent on one side, thickened at the nodes. Leaves opposite or subopposite, unequal, 1.2-3.5 x 0.8-2.2 cm, orbicular-obovate, oblong or elliptic, base obtuse or attenuate, margins entire, often undulate, purplish, apex obtuse, rounded or retuse, sub-succulent; petiole sheathing with two stipule-like appendages. Flowers c. 7 mm across, axillary, solitary, sessile, sheathed by the base of the petiole. Calyx tube c. 1.5 mm long, adnate to base of petiole; lobes 5, white or pink, c. 4 mm long, oblong, obtuse. Stamens 15-20. Capsule to 5 mm long, turbinate, apex truncate, 2-lobed, brown, circumscissile. Seeds black with muricate concentric lines. Fl. &Fr.:  April-June.

Trianthema portulacastrum Medicinal uses

❀Dried root of T. portulacastrum is used for the treatment of edema, anemia, liver, and spleen diseases.

❀Decoction of the herb is used as a vermifuge, as an antidote in alcoholic poison and also used for the treatment of rheumatism.

❀ Infusion is used for treatment of constipation, jaundice, dropsy, and asthma.

❀ Root is used for the treatment of amenorrhea and itching.

root is also used for the treatment of corneal ulcers, itching, dimness of sight, and night blindness. Plant possessed antifungal, analgesic, antioxidant, antinociceptive, antihyperglycaemic, hypolipidaemic, anticarcinogenic, and hepatoprotective properties.

❀ The old leaves are used in a treatment against gonorrhoea

You can also add your pictures in this website. What you can do is send your pictures along with the information contain where and when you took to this given mail id flowersoftamilnadu@gmail.com Thank You

If you have any comments about the site or the pictures, good or bad, we'd like to hear from you. Please do comments!