Illustrative leaf, not this species
Portulaca pilosa
Mukkuli Keerai / Shaggy Portulaca മുക്കുലീ കീരൈ
Tamil name · See all regional names ↓
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan & more
- Flowering
- July-December
Mukkuli Keerai in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil | മുക്കുലീ കീരൈ | Koli mulaiyan, koli munaiyan, Mukkuli keerai |
| Kannada | Not recorded | Gedde geni soppu |
See the original recorded names
- Tamil
- Koli mulaiyan, koli munaiyan, മുക്കുലീ കീരൈ Mukkuli keerai
- Kannada
- Gedde geni soppu
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP records it as introduced in India Kew dataset ↗︎
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: C. & S. U.S.A. to Trop. & Subtrop. America.
- Recorded habitat
- Moist deciduous forests and plains
- Explore nearby plants
- Telangana →Karnataka →Rajasthan →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Mukkuli Keerai
Identify Mukkuli Keerai by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Tufts of hair at the leaf base.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Portulacaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Mukkuli Keerai.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Portulaca pilosa
- Genus
- Portulaca
- Family
- Portulacaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous forests and plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- Pantropical
- Found in India
- Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Puducherry, Punjab
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mukkuli Keerai itself; the rest are typical of the Portulacaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Mukkuli Keerai
Shaggy Portulaca (Portulaca pilosa) is a herb in the Portulacaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan and 14 other states. It grows in moist deciduous forests and plains. Flowering and fruiting run from July to December.
Uses
Locally it is long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Portulacaceae
Purslane Family
Mukkuli Keerai belongs to the Portulacaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Portulacaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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