Spekboom:
the wonder plant of the dry regions
Sors Pretorius
P
ortulacaria afra (known as elephant
bush, dwarf jade plant, porkbush,
spekboom in Afrikaans iNtelezi in Zulu
and iGqwanitsha in Xhosa) is a small-
leaved succulent plant found in South Africa.
The name Portulacaria is composed of
Portulaca + aria suggesting a similarity to the
genus Portulaca. The word afra is in reference
to the fact that the plant occurs in Africa.
Description
It is a soft-wooded, semi-evergreen upright
shrub or small tree, usually 2.5–4.5 meters
(8–15 ft) tall. Similar in appearance to the
unrelated “jade plant” Crassula ovata (family
Crassulaceae), P. afra has smaller and rounder
pads and more compact growth (shorter
internodal spaces, down to 1.5 mm). It is
much hardier, faster growing, more loosely
branched, and has more limber tapering
branches than Crassula once established.
Maroon stems contrast beautifully with the
light green leaves and delicate pink, star-
shaped flowers add to its beauty when they
appear from late winter through to spring.
Portulacaria afra in flower.
By Beverly Young - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37933597
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
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