Talinum is a genus of around 50 species of herbaceous succulent plants in the family Talinaceae (formerly in the family Portulacaceae) whose common names include fameflower and flameflower. Several species bear edible leaves and roots. The genus is distributed along dry areas of tropical and subtropical Africa, North America and Central America. The smooth, often succulent, leaves and their showy, cup- or saucer-shaped flowers make them nice additions to the rock garden. Grow them in well-drained soil of poor to moderate fertility in full sun. Indoors, use a cactus potting mix and grow in full light with good ventilation.

Talinum portulacifolium is a perennial, herbaceous plant with grey, succulent stems that sprout from a thickened root or caudex that can sometimes be a creeper. The stems, which can sometimes become softly woody, usually grow up to 1 metres long, occasionally to 3 metres. The plant is gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes cultivated in tropical Africa and India as an edible vegetable, and is also grown as an ornamental plant. Leaves and young stems – raw or cooked. Used as a vegetable or added to salads. The leafy stem parts are often cooked together with Bidens or Cleome leaves, or mixed with coconut milk or pounded groundnuts and eaten with the staple food. The leaves can also be stored dry for later use. The leaves are used in the treatment of eye diseases. A decoction is used as a remedy for constipation. The root is used in the treatment of coughs and gonorrhea. The plant is credited with ethnobotanical aphrodisiac properties.