In 1979, botany professor Avinoam Danin from Israel distinguished and described six different species from the Portulaca oleracea aggregate there, based on their seeds.
The seed have different surface structures, allowing species to be distinguished by these.
Five, partly different, species have also been found in Germany.
In Portulaca papillatostellulata, the surface structure consists of small, flat stars with relatively long and pointed arms,
with raised papillae on the arms. This species is by far the most widespread in Central Europe.
Other species lack raised papillae on the arms, or additionally possess relatively large raised tubercles on the flat central parts.
In 2013, F. W. Bomble from Aachen presented
Funde von Portulaca granulatostellulata, P. nitida und P. papillatostellulata in Nordrhein-Westfalen,
('Findings of ... in North Rhine-Westphalia'). However, he overlooked the fact that two of these species have been reported by Danin to be tetraploid,
while no tetraploid Portulaca had been found in Central Europe at least until 2023,
only approximately hexaploid species. Therefore, P. granulatostellulata and P. nitida as identified by Bomble, should not be present in Germany.
Furthermore, Danin's original material was subsequently also diagnosed as approximately hexaploid, so there are now serious doubts whether these two species even exist at all.
The authoritative article on Portulaca species occurring in Germany from 2023 onwards is:
Morphologisch unterscheidbare Sippen von Portulaca oleracea s.l. - bestimmt anhand von Lackabdrücken der Samen
(morphologically distinguishable taxa of Portulaca oleracea s.l. - determined by lacquer impressions of the seeds) by Hans Reichert from Saarbrücken.
Impressions of the seeds in nail polish and their microscopic examination under transmitted light are not strictly necessary;
species identification can also be achieved by reflected light microscopy of the seeds (although my device belongs to the very lowest category and is rather a toy).
Even more up-to-date is the Portulaca chapter in 'Flora Germanica, Volume 3 Kritische Gattungen' (Critical Genera) pages 754-752 (2024).
The internet site Flora Germanica shows the current species inventary, too.
The diameter of the seeds of the wild species occurring in Germany varies between approximately 0.6 and 1 mm and is not suitable for species identification.
The other two species, which I have already seen, are Portulaca oleracea s.str. (synonym: P. stellata)
and Portulaca trituberculata, which both are significantly rarer.
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