This rather inconspicuous plant may reach 12 inches in height although most of ours have been in the 3-6 inch range. The upright or leaning stems may be single or, more often, multiple as in photo (C). They are smooth, and succulent and increasingly reddish toward the base, resembling common purslane as its common name suggests. Leaves are less than 1 inch in length. Lower leaves have coarsely serrated margins, but upper leaf margins usually are smooth (A,B). Tiny white flowers about 1/10 inch in diameter bearing 4 white petals occur in at the junction of upper leaves with the stem (B). The flat, heart-shaped fruit is shown in (D). Many plants turn red at the fruit ripens (E).