Portulaca wightiana

Perennial herbs, about 3-10 cm long, caespitose, stem prostrate or ascending, usually woody at the base, much branched, terete or angled, internodes very short, about 2-3 mm, root woody, slender and long. Leaves simple, subopposite or alternate, ovate-cordate, about 4-5 x 2-2.5 mm across, base slightly connate, margin entire, apex acute, covered or enveloped by large axillary silvery scales which in also cover internodes, which are caducous, scales ovate-deltoid, membranous, apex acute, about 4 x 2 mm across, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence terminal capituli, flowering successively, about 2-7 flowered, subtented by scales, surrounded by hairs. Flowers bisexual, pedicel subsessile or sessile, sepals 2, ovate-deltoid, base clasping, margins scarious or herbaceous, apex keeled, about 3-3.3 mm long, petals 4, yellow, free or subconnate at the base, elliptic, margins entire, apex acute, about 2.8 x 1.7 mm across. Stamens 10, filaments basally connate, about 0.8 mm long, anthers 2 locular, dorsifixed. Ovary semi inferior, unilocular, ovules many, style 3-6 fid, about 2-3 mm long. Fruit capsule, globose-ovoid, about 2 mm across, papery, yellow straw colored, dehiscing circumscissile at the middle. Seeds many, reniform-globose, about 0.6 mm across, laterally compressed, testa cells hexangular, dark brown.