Moss rose
Portulaca grandiflora
Also called Portulaca, Sun plant and Rose moss
Garden plant · BeddingIt wants the dry, baking, useless corner nothing else will take, and watering it kindly is how people kill it. Gravel, full sun, and leave it alone.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 8 daysWater the ground, then leave it — water at the base and then leave it — these want to dry out between drinks.
- Light
- Full sun, and the hotter the better
- Feed
- Not needed
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 0.15 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- Southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way. ASPCA has a page titled "Moss Rose" listing it toxic to dogs, cats and horses — but that page is Portulaca oleracea, edible purslane, a different plant from this one. If you search that name yourself you will find it. Check which you have.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-08-03. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.