Spekboom - Portulacaria afra
Spekboom - Portulacaria afra

Common names: porkbush, elephant's food (English); igqwanitsha, igwanishe, umfayisele, wehlathi (Xhosa); intelezi, isidondwane, isambilane, indibili, isicococo (Zulu); spekboom. olifantskos (Afrikaans). 
Botanical name: Portulacaria afra

Portulacaria afra, commonly known as Porkbush or Elephant’s Food, is a versatile succulent plant that can thrive in various settings. It has small, round, fleshy leaves and pink, star-shaped flowers that attract insects and birds. It is a favourite food for elephants, tortoises and goats, and also has many traditional uses for humans, such as treating sore throats, skin ailments and dehydration. It is also a remarkable ‘carbon sponge’ that can help reduce greenhouse gases and restore degraded landscapes. Portulacaria afra is easy to grow from cuttings and can be used as a screen, hedge or bonsai. It can tolerate full sun, semi-shade and moderate frost.

Uses & Benefits: bonsai, flavouring, food, hedge, indoor, medicine, phyto-remediation, pot plant

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Nature & Cultivation

Family: Portulacariaceae
Type: shrub, succulent, tree
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Flower colour: pink
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Use as Medicine

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