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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Atriplex portulacoides (Sea Purslane) |
Atriplex portulacoides (AMARANTHACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Atriplex portulacoidesL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 1053 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
Halimus portulacoides (L.) Dumort. Synonym that was used for long in Malta:
Halimione portulacoides
(L.) Aellen Full list of synonyms :
[Euro+Med]
[WFO]
[IPNI]
[POWO]
[Catalogue of Life]
[Worldplants.de]
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Plant Family : |
Amaranthaceae Juss. (The Amaranth Family)
42 species from the Amaranthaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Sea Purslane |
Maltese name(s) : |
Maltese name not known |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Chameophyte ( small woody shrubs with vegetative buds well above the ground ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
October – November |
Colour of Flowers: |
Inconspicuous |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Atriplex: From Atraphaxys- meaning dark and intertwined of which reference to the corresponding plants is not certain, but one of the suggestions indicate it may refer lack of nutrition (A- and -traphein) alluding to the dry, arid and deprived ground in which many plants are able to grow. (Greek origin)
portulacoides: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Decumbent small shrub 20-80(-150) cm, silvery-farinose; stems often rooting. Lower leaves opposite, oblong, elliptical or obovate, entire, thick and fleshy. Fruit sessile. Bracteoles 2.5-5 mm, obdeltate, usually 3-lobed at the apex. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Salt-marshes, particularly at the edges of channels and pools; occasionally on rocks and cliffs
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Exposed rock close to the sea and salt marshes
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=36 | |
Distributional range |
Coasts of S. & W. Europe, from Bulgaria to Denmark
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, Belgium, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Bulgaria, Corse, Crete, Denmark, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, †Su Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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? AE(G T) Ag Al Be(B) Bl(I M N) Br Bu Co Cr Ct Cy Eg Ga(C F) Ge Gr Hb(E N) Ho Hs(S) Ir It Jo Le Li Lu Ma Rm Sa Si(M S) Sl Sn Sy Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K) [Ca(C L) nDa aSu]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
