Description
The famous spekboom plant, with the scientific name of Portulacaria afra is an evergreen succulent shrub or small tree processing small round succulent leaves with attractive red stems. The size of their leaves is one of the characteristics that lends them very well to being used as a bonsai plant. They originate from South Africa, however, they are now cultivated throughout the world. Landscapers and gardeners world-wide prize Portulacaria afra for its vigorous growth and attractive evergreen nature as well as its easy care requirements.
They produce an incredible display of pink flowers which are produced in absolute abundance. Insects such as honey bees are drawn to the rich nectar source provided by the pink star-shaped flowers.
This then in turn also attracts insectivorous birds who arrive to feed on the various insects. This plant thus supports and stabilises healthy ecological balance.
The Spekboom flowering process usually occurs from late winter to summer time although there is a degree of variability in in their flowering times which depends on their growing environment and climactic conditions.
Common names of Portulacaria afra
English: porkbush, elephant’s food bush, dwarf jade, bacon tree
Afrikaans: Spekboom, olifantskos
isiZulu: intelezi, isidondwane, isambilane, indibili, isicococo
isiXhosa: igqwanitsha
Propagating and planting Spekboom (Portulacaria afra)
They are simple to care for and make easy houseplants for a sunny location. One can grow spekboom in pots easily, they just like a lot of sun and well draining soil.
They can also be grown outdoors in full-sun or semi-shade, in dry areas or even well-watered flowerbeds. They are moderately frost-tolerant but do appreciate protection from frost when they are young. Once they are mature and better established they are capable of sheltering themselves from a certain degree of frost.
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 afra is a common landscape plant in Phoenix, Arizona and southern California. Cuttings root very easily in most potting media.
Spekboom is easily propagated from cuttings or truncheons. Simply stick a cutting or truncheon into a lightly composted hole with the cut side down, and then cover the lower section (approximately 10cm or more) with soil and compost (and make the ground is firm around the base of the cutting). Roots will appear eventually, facilitating new growth in time. This is the most common form of propagation as the seeds are not often available. Cuttings usually take between 4 to 6 weeks to root.
Spekboom size and shape (Portulacaria afra)
It is a soft-wooded, semi-evergreen upright shrub or small tree, usually 2.5–5 metres (8–15 ft) tall. In most conditions they will grow to up to 2 metres tall in garden environments. Similar in appearance to the unrelated Crassula ovata “jade plant” (family Crassulaceae), Portulacaria afra has smaller and rounder pads and more compact growth (shorter internodal spaces, down to 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in)). It is much hardier, faster growing, more loosely branched, and has more limber tapering branches than Crassula ovata “jade plant” once established.[1]
Spekboom uses of cutivation of Portulacaria afra
Source of food and medicinal uses of Spekboom
In Southern Africa it is commonly eaten, usually as one component of a salad or a soup. It is also said to reduce thirst as well as assist with recovering from exhaustion, dehydration, and heat stroke. It can be eaten in small to moderate quantities possessing a sour, tart, and astringent flavour. It should not to be confused with the Crassula ovata “jade plant”, which is mildly toxic.
Traditionally, some women eat the leaves as they are believed to increase the production of breast milk by lactating mothers.
People chew the leaves as a supplementary treatment for sore throats and mouth infections.
One can crush the leaves to release the astringent juice which acts as an anti-septic while soothing skin ailments such as rashes, pimples, insect stings, sunburn, blisters, and corns. The juice will help to to temporarily relieve pain and discomfort while potentially aiding in the more long-term healing process.
Honey made predominantly from spekboom nectar is said to be of an exceedingly high quality of flavour and texture. This stands true except in areas where the spekboom plants grow alongside the easily recognisable Euphorbia trees. Several of such areas exist, and caution must be taken due to the fact that nectar from Euphorbia trees results in bees producing a poisonous honey when incorporated. This honey is often notedly bitter and consumption should be avoided. The Euphorbia trees also exude a poisonous white latex (sap) when their stems and branches are broken, which can cause blindness and illness.
Plant Shop Africa can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Using spekboom as animal fodder (Portulacaria afra)
This plant is heavily browsed by game (and is even highly favoured by tortoises).
Portulacaria afra forms a great part of the diet of the elephants which live in the Addo National park (Eastern Cape, South Africa).
Elephants tend to eat the plants from the top downwards and leave some of the stems remaining at the bottom, it encourages a more horizontal growth habit, which enables the plants to spread vegetatively. This means that when horizontal branches touch the soil, or are covered with soil by animals, they then form new roots at that point and eventually new plants growth forth).
This has turned out to be a symbiotic process as Portulacaria afra seems to spread much more effectively this way than by seed (due to the hot and dry conditions).
Other mammals also enjoy feeding on this plant, hence farmers often plant these succulents as fodder for all kinds of animals. However, some of the domesticated animals eat the plants from the ground upwards; leaving insufficient length of the stem at the base to enable horizontal limb growth. This has proven quite a destructive process, causing significant declines in the plant population where overgrazing and poor regeneration co-exist.
Plant Shop Africa can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Carbon sequestration of Spekboom (Portulacaria afra)
Spekboom is highly effective at carbon sequestration (absorbing atmospheric carbon) and using it within itself to create new plant growth.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the major greenhouse gases which are responsible for the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere. In the right quantities this molecule is vitally important for our survival, however, humans are producing excessive amounts through the combustion (burning) of non-renewable fossil fuels.
The excess of CO2 allows the ultraviolet light from the sun to enter and warm the Earth’s atmosphere, however it traps and prevents the infrared heat emitted by the Earth from leaving the atmosphere.
This is resulting in global climate change (and the overall warming of the planet). This process has many devastating consequences, including, but not limited to: species extinctions, crop failures, and more frequent and harsh natural disasters.
This means we need to make consistent large scale efforts to sequester as much carbon as possible. This plant is perfect for the job as it can sequester a maximum of 15.4 t CO2 ha−1yr−1.[6]
They are purported to be the plant that can sequester the most carbon per hectare per year out of all plant species.
Some estimates even suggest a hectare of Portulacaria afra can absorb 10 times more carbon than any tropical rainforest.
It is for these reasons that the South African government’s Working for Ecosystems programme proposes restoring a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of spekboom thicket.[7][8]
Interestingly, these plants are capable of using two different methods of photosynthesis to fix carbon: C3 photosynthesis and Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis. The plant adopts whichever process is more suitable to the current seasonal climate and the age of the leaves.[3] This metabolic flexibility enables the plants to be very resilient and hardy during adverse drought conditions (using CAM) while also possessing the ability grow faster during favourable conditions (switching to C3 photosynthesis).
Using Spekboom for erosion prevention (Portulacaria afra)
These plants develop root systems which are very well adapted to holding onto the soil even in poor soils or rocky conditions. They can therefore, over time, grow to bind soil sufficiently to prevent further erosion. Although they possess a hardy nature, that should not prevent care-takers from giving them special attention such as compost or water. These extras can help the plant grow faster.
As these plants grow they shade the soil from the harsh rays of the sun, creating a favourable environment for the accumulation of organic mater and hence the survival of microboes, insects, and other animals. This has a gradually enriching effect on the soil to the extent where an increase in water-holding capacity can be observed and hence a positive feedback loop towards more growth for the Portulacaria afra plants.
Ornamental Spekboom bonsais (Portulacaria afra)
Portulacaria afra is often cultivated as a hardy and handsome bonsai. It does not mind being pruned, and its branches are flexible when young (which makes them ideal for training with bonsai wire). Furthermore, they look rather aesthetically pleasing and reminiscent of a large old tree once successfully shaped. One also doesn’t need to water them too often.
Spekboom hedges and windbreaks (Portulacaria afra)
These evergreen and windy tolerant plants produce dense shrubs (sometimes as high as small trees – 3m+). When combined in numbers with an organised fashion they can be used to create a successful privacy screen as well as a substantial windbreak. In addition, one can include other trees and plants to reinforce the efforts of the spekboom.
If these plants are planted densely and then clipped and pruned repeatedly the row of plants can also be shaped into a more neat and formal hedge.
Distribution and natural habitat of Sperkboom (Portulacaria afra)
Portulacaria afra is found in dense numbers in the warm and dry southern Cape, favouring rocky outcropes and slopes. They range from the Little Karoo (which is in the Western Cape at the extreme south of the greater Succulent Karoo), through the Eastern Cape’s scrub, thicket, bushveld, and dry river valleys. [3] Spekboom is found most prolifically in the Albany thickets of the Eastern Cape, a woodland eco-region, which locally is often called noorsveld, after the high number of succulent Euphorbia species, which are often called noors plants.[4]
It is also widespread further east in the provinces of South Africa: Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga (as well as the neighbouring countries of Eswatini and Mozambique). Although, in these moister climates, it is relatively rare, and tends to favour dryer rocky outcrops and slopes.
Different types of Spekboom -Varieties and cultivars of Portulacaria afra
- “Limpopo”: A variety with much larger leaves. It is the natural form from the far north of the species’ range.
- “Portulacaria afra var. prostrata”: A low-lying, decumbent form that is frequently used as a ground-cover.
- “Aurea”: A compact, upright form with rounded leaves that go bright yellow in the sun.
- “Portulacaria afra ‘variegata'”: A variegated form.
- “Medio-picta”: Variegated with a lighter centre.
Conservation status
Portulacaria afra is classified as being of Least Concern (LC) in the National Red List. This indicates that the species is not threatened in its natural habitat.
Companion plants that go well with Spekboom (Portulacaria afra)
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References
- “Portulacaria afra Monograph”. Pyramid Dancer. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- Bruyns, Peter V.; Oliveira-Neto, Mario; Melo-de-Pinna, Gladys Flavia; Klak, Cornelia (2014). “Phylogenetic relationships in the Didiereaceae with special reference to subfamily Portulacarioideae”. Taxon. 63 (5): 1053–1064. doi:10.12705/635.36. ISSN0040-0262.
- Lonnie J. Guralnick; Patricia A. Rorabaugh & Zac Hanscom III (1984). “Seasonal shifts of photosynthesis in Portulacaria afra (L.) Jacq”. Plant Physiology. 76 (3): 643–646. doi:10.1104/pp.76.3.643. PMC1064348. PMID16663899.
- Becking, David. “Portulacaria afra | Tree SA”. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- “Portulacaria afra”. PlantZAfrica.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- Mills, Anthony J.; Cowling, Richard M. (2014). “How Fast Can Carbon Be Sequestered When Restoring Degraded Subtropical Thicket?”. Restoration Ecology. 22 (5): 571–573. doi:10.1111/rec.12117. ISSN1061-2971.
- Matthews, Alexander (3 February 2020). “How shrubs can help solve climate change”. BBC Future. BBC. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- “South Africa’s Environmental Programmes”(PDF). Retrieved 4 February 2020.
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Portulacaria afra”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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