M.G. Gilbert (1993) Portulacaceae. Flora of Somalia 1: 1:120-126

Plants annual herbs; stems usually spreading or prostrate, up to 30 cm long, often reddish. Leaves alternate to subopposite; axils with a few inconspicuous hairs up to 1 mm long, often soon lost; blades obovate-spathulate to more or less oblong, up to 30 mm long and 122 mm wide, bases more or less attenuate into the obscure petioles, tips rounded. Inflorescences of 1-5 flowers within an involucre of leaflike bracts and and inner whorl of triangular scales, often seeming lateral or in the fork of branching stems because of overtopping by later growth. Sepals 2-4 mmm long, fleshy, keeled or more or less winged near the tips; petals 5, dull yellow, 4-8 mm long, with rounded tips; stamens 7-12; stigmas 3-6-lobed. Capsules ovoid to obovoid, splitting near or just below the moddle; caps hemispherical, usually with narrow more strongly veined extension at the tip which retains a few seeds; seeds many, about 1 mm long, glossy black with no metalllic sheen; cells of seed coat conspicuoulsy stellate, dorsal cells usually with conspicuous, more or less swollen-tipped, peg-like tubercles. 

Gilbert recognized two subspecies in the Flora of Somalia: Portulaca oleracea subsp. oleracea which, at the time he was writing, was known only from region S1, which is in southern Somalia, and Portulaca oleracea subsp. granulatostellulata which was then known only from region N1 of the Flora region but also grows in the Ocaenic Islands and inland in such areas as Nigeria. The key below shows how they differ.

Key to the subspecies of Portulaca oleracea:

1 Seeds 0.85-1(-1.2) mm long; cells of seed coat all with a sollitary, central, papilla .... Portulaca oleracea subsp. oleracea

1 Seeds 0.65-0.85 mm long; cells of seed coat on sides tof thes eeds each with a ring of small papillae .... Portulaca oleracea subsp. granulato stellulata

©Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; reproduced with permission.

Abdul Ghafoor (1973) Portulacaceae. Flora of West Pakistan 51: 3-4

Plants annual or perennial, prostrate or erect, about 25 cm tall, herbaceous,  succulent, glabrous, green or purplish green. Branches and stems with 3-20 mm (rarely up to 50 mm) long internodes. Leaves alternate or subopposite, closely crowded below the flowers, spathulate or obovate-oblong to linear-oblong, attenuate at the base, sub-sessile, obtuse or truncate, 3-25 mm long, 1.5-8 mm broad, thick, fleshy, glabrous, glistening white below, green or purplish-green above; stipules usually absent, rarely minute and setaceous. Inflorescences usually axillary, cymose, with clusters of 3-6 flowers subtended by a 4-leaved involucre, rarely flowers solitary and terminal. Flowers sessile, yellow, 5-8 mm across, bracteate; bracts membranous, ovate, about 3 mm long, acuminate, white or somewhat purplish; sepals subequal, basally united into a short, 2-3 mm long tube, keeled; lobes 2-3 mm long, slightly hooded, their margins broad, membranous, acute, deciduous; petals 5, deliquescent, slightly united at the base, obovate, 5-6 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, yellow, emarginate with mucronulate notch; stamens 7-12, basally somewhat united and adnate to petals, filaments c. 2.5 mm long, sensitive to touch, anthers ovoid; varies c. 2 mm long, half embedded in calyx tube, ovoid; style 1.5-2 mm long, stigmas 4-5, sticky, c. 1 mm long. Capsule many-seeded, 6-8 mm long, 3-4 mm in diam. Seeds shining black, c. 0.5-0.8 mm, reniform, testa tuberculate.