| Scientific Name | Portulacaria afra Jacq. | Higher Classification | Dicotyledons | Family | DIDIEREACEAE | Synonyms | Claytonia portulacaria (L.) L., Crassula arborea L., Crassula portulacaria L., Portulaca fruticosa Thunb. (later homonym), not of L. (1759) | Common Names | Elephant Food (e), Elephant's Food (e), Igqwanitsha (x), Igwanishe (x), Indibili (z), Intelezi (z), Isambilane (z), Isicococo (z), Isidondwane (z), Olifantskos (a), Porkbush (e), Soetspekboom (a), Soet-spekboom (a), Spekboom (e), Spekboom (a), Suurspekboom (a), Suur-spekboom (a), Umfayisele (x), Wehlathi (x) |
National Status | Status and Criteria | Least Concern | Assessment Date | 2015/05/11 | Assessor(s) | L. von Staden | Justification | Widespread, common and not in danger of extinction. |
Distribution | Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa | Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Western Cape | Range | Little Karoo eastwards through the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, and northwards along the Lebombo Mountains to the Mpumalanga Lowveld, Sekhukhuneland and Venda. It is occasionally cultivated in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, its native occurrence in these areas cannot be verified (Wild 1961). |
Habitat and Ecology | Major system | Terrestrial | Major habitats | Albany Thicket, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Succulent Karoo | Description | Dry rocky slopes in succulent scrub, bushveld and thicket. |
Population | Population trend | Stable |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Portulacaria afra Jacq. | Least Concern | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
Bibliography | Boon, R. 2010. Pooley's Trees of eastern South Africa. Flora and Fauna Publications Trust, Durban.
Bruyns, P.V., Oliveira-Neto, M., Melo-de-Pinna, G.F. and Klak, C. 2014. Phylogenetic relationships in the Didiereaceae with special reference to subfamily Portulacarioideae. Taxon 63(5):1053-1064.
Coates Palgrave, M. 2002. Keith Coates Palgrave Trees of southern Africa. 3rd Edition. Struik, Cape Town.
Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants: A conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Schmidt, E., Lotter, M. and McCleland, W. 2002. Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana, Johannesburg.
Vlok, J. and Schutte-Vlok, A.L. 2010. Plants of the Klein Karoo. Umdaus Press, Hatfield.
Wild, H. 1961. Portulacaceae. In: A.W. Exell and H. Wild (eds). Flora Zambesiaca 1 (Part 2):362-372. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London.
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Citation | | von Staden, L. 2015. Portulacaria afra Jacq. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/03/22 |
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 © J.H. Vlok/A.L. Schutte-Vlok  © J.H. Vlok/A.L. Schutte-Vlok  © L. von Staden  © L. von Staden
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