Kokorita® White

Class

Dicotyledoneae

Division

Angiospermae

Family

Portulacaceae

Order

Caryophyllales

Genus

Purslane

Species

grandiflora

Description

A highly decorative, vigorous annual herbaceous plant with a trailing or semi-erect habit, depending on the variety.

With its abundant blooms, featuring vivid and bright colours even in hot, dry conditions, it perfectly embodies the vigour and liveliness of summer, making it the ideal choice for adding a splash of colour to areas exposed to full sun, including flowerbeds, edging, terraces and balconies, rockeries and hanging baskets. The succulent, needle-like foliage also adds decorative value, creating dense, thick canopies from which, from mid-spring until early autumn, a profusion of flowers emerges; these tend to close their corollas as the sun goes down.

It is highly hardy and requires minimal maintenance.

Variety description

Kokorita is a series of Portulaca grandiflora with large, brightly coloured flowers. Even during the sunniest months of July and August, when other varieties struggle to cope with the strongest sunshine...

Curiosities and special features

The generic term portulaca, given to it by the Swedish botanist and naturalist C. Linnaeus, derives from the Latin 'portula' or small door in reference to the dehiscent fruit formed by a capsule with a lid that opens like a door; the specific epithet, grandiflora, refers to the size of the flowers.

Origin and distribution

It belongs to the genus Portulaca, which comprises more than 100 species that grow wild in tropical and subtropical biomes; specifically, Portulaca grandiflora is a species native to Argentina, southern Brazil, Peru and Uruguay, and is now naturalised in parts of Europe with a warm climate.

Flower size

The flower is large in size when compared with that of other varieties.

Leaf

Leaf with succulent lamina.

Flowering period

The profuse flowering period lasts from late spring to early autumn for a duration of between 120 and 150 days, a long period that will allow us to enjoy its colourful flowers for a long time.

Leaf colour

Plain colours.

Plant height

The plant grows to a height of between 0.1 and 0.25 m, making it ideal for creating colourful patches in flowerbeds.

Lifespan

Annual Plant.

Where to plant

It is an excellent ornamental choice for gardeners and plant enthusiasts of all levels of experience; thanks to its hardiness and resilience to weather conditions that are often unfavourable to other species, as well as its lush and vibrant blooms, it is widely used in flowerbeds, on balconies, terraces, in planters, hanging baskets, traffic island flowerbeds and window boxes

Stem

It has a succulent stem and no thorns.

Flower

The flower is simple in form and large, with a dialipetal corolla and solid-coloured petals. It flowers from late spring to early autumn, with a flowering period of between 120 and 150 days. It attracts bees and bumblebees.

Growth

Medium to vigorous Growth, excellent for creating dense homogenous groups.

Plant habit

With its semi-trailing habit, it can easily be combined with other flowering plants in the garden, creating a pleasing overall effect through a mix of colours and heights; it is also suitable for hanging baskets and planters.

Branching

The abundant branching gives a highly ornamental result with a proportionate ratio of foliage to flowers.

PH

The ideal pH of the soil or growing medium forPortulaca grandiflora is moderately acidic.

Soil preparation

Before planting out in the spring or summer, dig over the flowerbed to a depth of about 20–30 cm, removing any weeds and large stones, then work in organic or slow-release chemical fertiliser to ensure an initial supply of nutrients; if the soil is excessively compact or clayey, it is advisable to add some sand as well. Continue by breaking up the larger clods with a hoe and carefully levelling the surface, preparing the planting holes at a suitable density.

Read more on the Joyflo blog

Sun exposure

Full sun and afternoon sun are the best conditions for achieving excellent results in terms of both vigorous growth and flowering.

Ideal climate and temperature

The ideal temperature is between 20 and 24 °C.The plant’s tolerance range is between 7.5 and 38 °C, so even under less than optimal temperature conditions, it can survive and then resume vigorous vegetative growth once milder temperatures return. It is highly resistant to heat and drought during the summer months, continuing to produce bright and abundant blooms even under such climatic conditions. In a climate where, for some years now, we have been witnessing increasingly critical situations in terms of water availability and characterised by temperatures that are consistently higher than in previous years, the availability of flowering plants that are well-suited to these conditions is truly invaluable.

Use

Its hardiness, ease of cultivation and spectacular, prolonged flowering make it a key plant for
outdoor ornamental Outdoor landscape design

Hardiness

It is highly hardy, ensuring excellent flowering even in climates with hot, dry summers.

Soil

Light or medium-textured soils, enriched and well-drained, provide the optimal growing conditions; for use in planters and pots, a growing medium for spring-flowering plants, based on fibrous peat and perlite, is recommended.

Difficulty

A plant that is also appreciated for beingeasy to look after and maintain overall.

Growing tips

Here are some growing tips to help you achieve the best results whilst the plant is growing:
In low light, the flowers close In low light, the plants do not flower Keep the growing medium dry at low temperatures

Adhering to these ideal conditions will ensure the success of your garden, making this information very useful for achieving the best results in terms of plant growth and flowering.

Combinations with other plants

We recommend combining it with other varieties of purslane featuring different shades of flower colour, or with other ornamental plants such as Hageratum houstonianum, Gomphrena globosa and Lobularia maritima.

Planting

For planting in a flowerbed, an average density of 16 plants per square metre is recommended, though the exact number may vary depending on the initial growth of the seedlings and the desired final density – whether lower or higher – which must, however, always ensure the proper development of each individual plant, allowing it to grow as vigorously as possible. We suggest placing each seedling in a raised bed with the root collar above ground level, taking care not to damage the roots and avoiding burying the root balls completely; they must be kept well moistened, Finally, water immediately after planting, preferably in the morning, whilst taking care to avoid waterlogging.

Propagation

Multiplication is mainly by cutting.

Watering

You canuse rainwater or tap water, either by watering by hand or using an irrigation system, taking care to allow the soil or growing medium to dry out sufficiently between waterings, keeping it slightly moist but preventing the plant from drying out or wilting, it is also advisable not to overwater to prevent waterlogging, which the plant cannot tolerate. Watering should be regular but moderate.
When transplanting, water thoroughly initially and monitor the seedling until it has fully established itself in its new location.

Read more on the Joyflo blog

Fertilising

When preparing the soil for transplanting, apply a base dressing by working organic or slow-release chemical fertiliser into the soil. Once the plant has become properly established in its new location, apply a balanced fertiliser specifically formulated for ornamental plants to the growing medium or soil, taking care not to exceed the recommended doses or application frequency.

Read more on the Joyflo blog

Edibility for humans

Non-edible ornamental Species.

Tip

Expert’s Opinion (varietal assessment): Portulaca kokorita is a plant which, thanks to its low water requirements and succulent leaves, is ideal for positions in full sun and where rainfall is scarce. It is also suitable for flowerbeds as well as large pots or bowls. Once transplanted into a flowerbed, it requires no maintenance, apart from some manual weeding between transplanting and when the soil is covered, a task it helps with thanks to its prostrate, trailing foliage.

Portulaca kokorita is one of the top choices for adding colour to gardens during the hottest and driest summers, as it thrives in conditions where many flowering plants suffer from poor quality due to sunscald caused by strong sunlight. It has low water requirements and therefore prefers dry, well-drained soil; in any case, care must be taken not to over-water or over-fertilise it, even during the hottest periods.