Sesuvium portulacastrum

Sesuvium portulacastrum is a vine up to 30 centimetres (12 in) high, with thick, smooth stems up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. It has smooth, fleshy, glossy green leaves that are linear or lanceolate, from 1–7 centimetres (0.39–2.76 in) long and 2–1.5 centimetres (0.79–0.59 in) wide.^[7][4]

Its flowers bud from the leaf axils. They are small, 0.5 centimetres (0.20 in) in diameter and pink or purple in colour.^[7][4] They close at nighttime or when the sky is cloudy. They are pollinated by bees and moths.^[3]

The fruit is a round capsule, it has tiny black seeds that do not float.^[3]

It was first published as Portulaca portulacastrum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.^[8] Six years later Linnaeus transferred it into Sesuvium,^[9] and it has remained at that name ever since, with the exception of an unsuccessful 1891 attempt by Otto Kuntze to transfer the species into a new genus as Halimus portulacastrum.^[10]

Fatty acid composition:- palmitic acid (31.18%), oleic acid (21.15%), linolenic acid (14.18%) linoleic acid (10.63%), myristic acid (6.91%) and behenic acid (2.42%) The plant extract showed antibacterial and anticandidal activities and moderate antifungal activity.^[11]

Sesuvium portulacastrum is eaten in the Philippines, where it is called dampalit in Tagalog and "bilang" or "bilangbilang" in the Visayan language.^[12] The plant is primarily pickled and eaten as atchara (sweet traditional pickles).