Lythrum_portula
Lythrum portula
Species of flowering plant
Lythrum portula is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family known by the common names water-purslane[1] and spatulaleaf loosestrife.[2] It is native to Europe, and it is found in parts of western North America as an introduced species. It often grows in moist habitat, such as marshes.
This is a prostrate annual herb producing a hairless, reddish stem up to 25 centimeters long, which lies along the ground and roots where its nodes come in contact with wet earth. The slightly fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves are about a centimeter long and greenish to reddish in color. Solitary flowers occur in leaf axils. Flowers often have white or pink petals about a millimeter long, but some lack petals. The fruit is a spherical capsule containing minute seeds.