Botanical name: Talinum fruticosum    Family: Portulacaceae (Purslane family)
Synonyms: Talinum triangulare, Portulaca triangularis, Portulaca fruticosa

Ceylon Spinach is an erect, stout, fleshy herb, 0.5-1 m tall. Sepals are only 2, about 5-7 mm long, needle-pointed. Petals are 5 or rarely more, pink, obovate, up to 1 cm long. Stamens are 15-40, style is longer than the stamens, with a 3-parted stigm. Flower stalk is about 8-11 mm long, bracts narrow, 4-6 mm long. Flowers are borne in 2-5-branched, raceme-like clusters 3-20 cm long. Leaves are elliptic to obovate, 5-15 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, tip pointed to tapering. Capsules are pale yellow, ellipsoid, 6-7 mm long. Despite the common name, Ceylon Spinach is actually native to the American continents, and widely naturalized in India.

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The flower labeled Ceylon Spinach is ...