''Talinum paniculatum'' is a succulent subshrub in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Talinaceae that is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to much of North and South America, and the Caribbean countries.Under its current treatment as ''Talinum paniculatum'' (from its basionym ''Portulaca paniculata''), this species was published in ''De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum …'' 2:219. 1791. It is commonly known as fameflower, Jewels-of-Opar (a name borrowed from the title of the novel ''

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar ''Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It first appeared in the November and December issues of ''All-Story Cavalier W ...

'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs), or pink baby's-breath.

Classification

The species was described in 1760 under the basionym of ''Portulaca paniculata'' by Nicolaus Joseph von Jacquin (1727–1817), then recombined in the genus ''

Talinum ''Talinum'' is a genus of herbaceous succulent plants in the family Talinaceae (formerly in the family Portulacaceae) whose common names include flameflower. Several species bear edible leaves, and '' Talinum fruticosum'' is widely grown in t ...

'' in 1791 by

Joseph Gaertner Joseph Gaertner (12 March 1732 – 14 July 1791) was a German botanist, best known for his work on seeds, ''De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum'' (1788-1792). Biography He was born in Calw, and studied in Göttingen under Albrecht von Halle ...

(1732–1791). In current classification, ''Talinum paniculatum'' belongs to the family Talinaceae, it was assigned in the past to the family of the

purslane Purslane is a common name for several mostly unrelated plants with edible leaves and may refer to: * Portulacaceae, a family of succulent flowering plants, and especially: ** ''Portulaca oleracea'', a species of ''Portulaca'' eaten as a leaf vegeta ...

Portulacaceae The Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising 115 species in a single genus '' Portulaca''. Formerly some 20 genera with about 500 species, were placed there, but it is now restricted to encompass only one genus, the other genera ...

Appearance

''Talinum paniculatum'' bears

tuberous root Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing s ...

s and panicles of

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s and produces tiny, jewel-like fruits. Its peculiarity is its very long root, of orange colour , that reaches about 80 centimeters. It is a very bad herb in crops, and it proliferates very easily, since it roots very easily, even after it has been plucked and if it has any part of the root in contact with the soil. The plant as a whole can reach almost 2 meters high measured from the soil surface, where after maturity, its brown seeds (in abundance), spread easily through the surrounding area.

Native range

''Talinum paniculatum'' is native to the southern United States, much of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

(such as Paraguay and Uruguay) and the Caribbean. It has been introduced notably in Africa and Asia.

Uses

''Talinum paniculatum'' is often grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

Cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s include 'Kingwood Gold', 'Limón', and 'Variegatum'. The leaves are edible and have been used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

in Asia. Used in home medicine as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics i ...

, healing,

emollient A moisturizer, or emollient, is a cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollient" is derived from the Latin verb ''m ...

, vulval and anti-infective, it is also consumed in salads.Roskov Y., Kunze T., Orrell T., Abucay L., Paglinawan L., Culham A., Bailly N., Kirk P., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Decock W., De Wever A., Didžiulis V. (ed) (2014). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2014 Annual Checklist.. Species 2000: Reading, UK.. Retrieved on 26 May 2014.

Gallery

File:Talinum paniculatum.jpg, ''Talinum paniculatum'' with fruits and flowers File:Talinum_crassifolium_1.jpg, Growing beneath a brick wall File:Talinum_crassifolium_4.jpg, Its fruits File:Talinum_paniculatum_2_(fruit).jpg, Closeup of fruits File:Jewels-of-Opar.jpg, Talinum paniculatum in

Singapore Botanic Gardens The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a -year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. T ...

File:The_botanist%27s_repository,_for_new,_and_rare_plants_-_containing_coloured_figures_of_such_plants,_as_have_not_hitherto_appeared_in_any_similar_publication,_with_all_their_essential_characters,_(14783082062).jpg, Botanical drawing File:Talinum paniculatum 6zz.jpg, Variegated variety

References

External links

Flora of North America, ''Talinum paniculatum'' (Jacquin) Gaertner, 1791. Pink baby-breath, jewels of Opar, rama del sapo ''Talinum paniculatum'' (Jacq.) Gaertn.
Finnish Museum of Natural History
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Peru in 2012
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7679537 Caryophyllales Plants described in 1760 Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin Flora of North America Flora of South America Flora of Central America Flora of the Caribbean Flora without expected TNC conservation status