Portulacaria afra is a small-leaved succulent plant found in South Africa. These succulents commonly have a reddish stem and leaves that are Prefix of Measurements, but also a variegated cultivar is often seen in cultivation. They are simple to care for and make easy houseplants for a sunny location. In frost-free regions they may be used in outdoor landscaping.
Description
It is a soft-wooded, semi-evergreen upright shrub or small tree, usually tall. Similar in appearance to the unrelated "jade plant" Crassula ovata, P. afra has smaller and rounder pads and more compact growth. It is much hardier, faster growing, more loosely branched, and has more limber tapering branches than Crassula once established. The genus Portulacaria has been shown to be an outlier, relatively unrelated to the other genera in the family, which are all restricted to small ranges in the arid far west of Southern Africa.
Distribution and habitat
It is very widespread in the east of South Africa. In this moist climate, it is relatively rare, and tends to favour dryer rocky outcrops and slopes. It is also found in much denser numbers in the dryer southern Cape. Here it occurs from the Little Karoo of the Western Cape, eastwards up until the thicket vegetation of the Eastern Cape. Spekboom is found most prolifically in the Albany thickets, a woodland ecoregion, which locally is often called noorsveld, after the high number of succulent Euphorbiaspecies, which are often called noors plants.
Cultivation and uses
In the wilds of South Africa, large plants do survive the winter frosts by growing dense enough to provide their own natural cover. Drought-tolerant and fire-resistant, it will endure desert sun and heat once established, which the jade plant will not. Portulacaria is a common landscape plant in Phoenix, Arizona and southern California. Cuttings root very easily in most potting media.
Ornamental
It is popular as a specimen for bonsai, and as a hardy xeriscaping plant. Several varieties exist - some bred in cultivation, others naturally occurring:
"Limpopo": A variety with much larger leaves. It is the natural form from the far north of the species' range.
"Prostrata": A low-lying, decumbent form that is frequently used as a ground-cover.
"Aurea": A compact, upright form with rounded leaves that go brightyellow in the sun.
In Southern Africa it is commonly eaten, usually as one component of a salad or a soup. It should not to be confused with the jade plant, which is mildly toxic.
It is capable of either C3 carbon fixation| or CAMcarbon fixation, depending on factors such as the season and the age of the leaves. It can sequester a maximum of 15.4 t CO2 ha−1yr−1. The South African government’s Working for Ecosystems programme proposes restoring a million hectares of spekboom thicket.
