Cactus Portulacaria Afra

I’m going to talk to you today about Portulacaria Afra. It has different names, but the most common are: tree of abundance and elephant shrub. Its origins are in South Africa. There is a legend about this succulent that says: the house that owns this plant will always enjoy a good economy. Hence its tree name of abundance. As I said earlier, it is also called elephant bush. It gets its name because wherever it grows, there are always elephants, because it is a beautiful meal for them.

It is very important not to confuse the portulacaria afra with the jade tree, they are very similar but are two entirely different plants. Both species are commonly used to make bonsais.

This shrub is characteristic for its thick stems that can range from reddish brown when young to greyish brown when adult. Once they have spent their winter rest and in late spring rains, it produces small pink flowers clustered at the end of branches, although it is quite rare to see them flourish outside their natural habitat.