This is a couple of photos of a plant ( possibly Portulacaria afra (known as elephant bush, dwarf jade plant, porkbush and spekboom in Afrikaans) is a small-leaved succulent plant found in South Africa) that has literally travelled hundreds of kilometres. It started as donations of sprigs or fleshy leaves from a plant in a pot at the front door of an acquaintance's house 50 klms north of Sydney on the NSW Central Coast. Prior to that I think that it had lived in the heart of Sydney in Balmain.
My sprigs were rooted in pots and eventually, about ten years ago, transported about 1400 km more or less to Western Victoria. They survived three years close to the desert, each winter the frost killing a substantial number of the fleshy leaves after turning them white.
They then had a further move to their current location underneath a medium sized tree. This past winter for the first time they prolifically flowered. The flowers have probably lasted for three months - quite spectacular for passers-bye.
If any one has the name and correct growing tips I will be delighted to learn what it is my brown thumbs have failed to kill off in more than ten years of my mistreatment! ?
The plants in the photos are alonside a three foot high fence in pots flat on the ground. The trunks now are 2 - 3 inches in diameter a woody grey colour.
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3 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Bear! It looks a lot like a jade. Do the flowers have a distinctive fragrance?
bigpawbullets
Level 9
Sep 9, 2018
1
It does indeed look like it and I think that was one of the nicknames - little jade or something like that though from memory jade leaves are small, the size of a little finger nail. These leaves are an inch or more in size and upto 1/4 inch thick. The colour is different being a dirty green.
@FrayedBear
Some of ours out on the verandah for the summer. They won't survive outdoors in the winter. When these flower (rarely) the flowers are identical to your pictures. Just three or four of these in our house when flowering fill the place with the sent of jade. Anyway, the leaves look to be identical. Have yours any trunk/stem?
@bigpawbullets Yes, trunks upto 3" in diameter and three feet tall. Pot about 10" diameter.
@FrayedBear
I checked several plant/seed catalogs. These "jade" plants appear to be like hostas as in "many varieties, sizes, leaf coloration". We've had the best success in growing them in plain old potting soil. They seem to thrive on being let dry completely out and then watering them heavily, and repeating this routine.
@bigpawbullets With our summer climate -40°C + and drought they certainly get that. As i stated they do not like heavy frost which freezes the leaves to death but the plant survives and bounces back.
Ok nice plants I don’t think I have seen before. But your date stamp on the second pic is really throwing me off. Exactly how may months do you guy have down there? Lol
Donto101
Level 7
Sep 9, 2018
1
ROFL Believe it or not Don we write the day of the month first, then the month followed by the year.
You'll undoubtedly have a problem with New Year's Eve this year - 31/12/2018
The plant flowering in the coldest month of the year - a month ago on 13 th August 2018.
@FrayedBear lol I should have figured that out. But have been dealing with a headache that won’t go away for the last week. My brain is slow right now
@Donto101 If you have any fresh horseradish chop some root up and breath the fumes in deeply. If you don't go into anaphylactic shock you will have the cleanest set of sinuses and tear ducts your side of the Pecos. Failing that morning and night pour salt water up your nostrils in turn, head one side then the other. It will do wonderful things in cleaning your nasal passages and sinuses out. Let the water flow out of the lower nostril. I have a thing called a nose tea pot that is a cup sized vessel with a round nozzle of a spout coming out of the body. Alternatively a plastic syringe, no needle, works to squirt the salt water in. Don't use plain water it is painful on the sensitive membranes in the nose and sinuses. A few days use should have you feeling clearer. The horseradish takes about 20 seconds. You may find chewing on raw garlic being another alternative or additional armament. G'luck.
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