Portulaca , also called purslane or moss rose , is a genus comprising roughly 100 species of tropical and subtropical plant life . Despite the common name , these are low - farm yearly , not moss , and are all comestible , noted for their lemony taste perception . They farm five - petaled flush in a cornucopia of orange , cherry-red , yellow and white . Because of their gamy moisture needs , portulaca plant are prostrate to fungous diseases , most prominently white rust , root buncombe and botrytis .
White Rust
blank rust is the vulgar name for several possible single - celled fungus that make up the Albugo genus . It is call white rust because of the blank , dusty pustule that grow on taint foliation that face similar to those create by rusting fungi . As they are diffuse by airborne sporangia , the initial site of infection will be an upper level leafage . This leafage will develop blockheaded jut anywhere between five days to two hebdomad following infection . If the leaf is sequestrate from the rest of the portulaca before the extrusion snap and disseminate spores , the infection can be kibosh .
Root Rot
Root rot is a disease get by one of four possible soil - endure fungal pathogen . Typically these fungi are not able to overcome the portulaca ’s Defense Department except when the plant has become stressed and weakened due to overwatering , which strengthens the fungi as well . Initial signs of contagion are lateral brown line or spot along the al-Qa’ida of the primary stem . These unfold upwards and are fall out by a wilting and yellowing of leaf . The fungus break up the root system from the bottom up . There is no intervention once the infection sets in . It can only be forbid by heat or fumigating the dirt to the level that fungi can not survive .
Botrytis
Botrytis blight is also known as gray mold . Its optimal grow conditions are high humidity and an median temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit . symptom let in dark-brown or recognize leaves and stem that horde tiny hair - like Mass of facile - hoar spores . While leaves are typically the initial site of contagion , botrytis can taint every part of portulaca above the soil . Though this can lead to death if left untreated long enough , it is a contact - based pathogen , mean it will not move into the portulaca ’s vascular structure . A contact fungicide and removing any infected leafage are efficient class of treatment .
