Portulacaria afra Jacq.
porkbush, elephant's food · spekboom, olifantskos (Afr.)
Spekboom: a tough evergreen succulent shrub with small round leaves on red stems; screens, hedges and bonsai.
What’s in the name: Portulacaria: "like Portulaca", the purslanes; afra: "African".
“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.”
— Job 14:7 (KJV), The King James Version of the Bible (Project Gutenberg)
Available from AVNPlants: see the availability list.
Family
Portulacaceae
Conservation status
Least Concern, SANBI Red List of South African Plants
Natural distribution & habitat
Warm rocky slopes in succulent scrub, thicket, bushveld and dry river valleys from the Eastern Cape north through KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga and Limpopo into Mozambique.
Size & form
Succulent shrub or small tree 2–5 m in the wild, usually 1.5–2 m in gardens. 'Prostrata' is a low groundcover form.
Flowering
Late winter to spring (irregular in cultivation); small pink star flowers.
Uses in landscaping
- Screen or clipped hedge
- Dry sunny or semi-shaded areas, or watered beds
- Groundcover ('Prostrata'); containers and bonsai
Care notes
Sun or semi-shade; tolerates moderate frost once mature. Very easy from cuttings or truncheons – plant straight into the ground, or dry for a day or two and root in river sand.
Wildlife value
Flowers provide nectar for many insects, which attract insect-eating birds.
Find out more
Facts checked against: SANBI PlantZAfrica species page 'Portulacaria afra'; SANBI Red List of South African Plants, Portulacaria afra Jacq. (assessment 2015/05/11).