Portulacaria afra, is a perennial succulent shrub indigenous to South Africa that is a popular succulent garden plant around the world. It is easily grown as a seasonal accent plant or low maintenance houseplant in our part of the world. Also sometimes called elephant food or elephant plant; dwarf jade, miniature jade or small leaf jade (but not related to jade plant, Crassula ovata); porkbush; or spekboom (in Afrikaans). It is found on rocky outcrops and slopes from the Little Karoo in the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape northwards into KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mpumalanga and the Limpopo Province and further north into Mozambique.
The foliage is edible – and is commonly eaten in southern Africa, usually in salads or soups to add a sour flavor – and was traditionally used medicinally for a variety of minor ailments. It is widely browsed by domestic and wild animals because of its ability to remain succulent despite periods of searing heat and drought, and is a favorite food of tortoises. Elephants do eat the plant, leaving the lower, spreading branches and a lot of broken twigs as they strip the branches of the leaves, which later root to expand and thicken the colony, creating new thickets known as “spekboomvelds”.
It has now been shown to be effective in carbon sequestration (binding atmospheric carbon which is responsible for climate change), in semi-arid landscapes and thicket vegetation it is also being used for restoration purposes.
For more information - http://pza.sanbi.org/portulacaria-afra
I'm from Tulbagh, Western Cape, South Africa. Tulbagh is a small farming community.
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