Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) is the plant South Africans argue about more than any other: is it a carbon sponge, is it edible, will it survive frost, and why does the one in the pot look nothing like the one in the hedge? This page is the honest answer to all of it, with links to the deeper guides we have written on each part.
Everything here is based on growing spekboom in Wilderness on the Garden Route — coastal, humid, no frost — so where the Garden Route differs from the Karoo or the Highveld, we say so.
What spekboom actually is
Spekboom is a succulent shrub, not a tree and not a true aloe, native to the Eastern Cape and widely planted across South Africa. It is also called elephant’s food, porkbush or olifantskos. The leaves are small, round and fleshy; the stems go woody with age; and it roots so easily from a cutting that a piece broken off and left on the ground will often simply grow.
That toughness is the whole reason it is everywhere: it survives on very little water, handles hot sun, and can be cut back hard without dying.
Spekboom benefits — what is real and what is repeated
The honest list: it is water-wise, it makes fast dense cover, it is fire-resistant compared with many garden shrubs, birds and insects use it, it feeds livestock, and the leaves are edible and sour. The claim that needs care is carbon. Spekboom uses CAM photosynthesis and there is real research on its carbon storage — but the headline figures people quote are usually about thicket restoration over decades, not about a pot on your patio. We went through the actual studies here: is spekboom really a carbon sponge?.
- Water-wise: it stores water in its leaves and stems, so it takes dry spells far better than a lawn or a rose bed. water
- Fast cover and hedging: it fills a gap quickly and can be pruned into a hedge. spekboom hedge spacing
- Edible: the leaves are sour and citrusy, eaten in salads or chewed as a thirst quencher. can you eat spekboom leaves?
- Hardy in wind and salt: it copes with coastal conditions, which is why it thrives here in Wilderness.
- Not frost-proof: it will take light cold, but a proper freeze will burn it. spekboom and frost
Our fuller write-up of the benefits and the growing basics is here: Spekboom benefits & how to grow it (South Africa).
Does spekboom grow in shade?
This is the question we get most, and the straight answer is: it survives in shade but it does not look good in it. In deep shade spekboom goes leggy, the leaves space out along stretched stems, growth slows and the plant loses the dense cushion shape people want. In bright, open shade or morning sun with afternoon shade it does fine. In full sun it is at its best — thick, compact and colourful, with the leaf tips reddening in strong light.
Practical rule for a South African garden: give it at least half a day of direct sun. Indoors, put it at the brightest window you have; the honest expectations of indoor growing are here: growing spekboom indoors. In a pot, the soil mix matters as much as the light — spekboom in pots: the soil mix.
Watering: the single most common mistake
Too much water, not too little. Spekboom in the ground through a Garden Route winter needs almost nothing from you; in a pot, water when the mix has dried out and then water properly, rather than giving small sips often. Yellowing or dropping leaves are usually a signal about water or drainage, not disease — we cover both: how much water spekboom really needs and why your spekboom leaves are falling off.
Pruning, hedges and cuttings
Spekboom tolerates hard pruning and is one of the few plants where you can cut now and plant the offcuts immediately: pruning spekboom and spekboom cuttings. For a hedge, spacing is what decides whether it knits into a solid screen or sits there as separate bushes — the spacing we use is here: spekboom hedge spacing. It also works as living mulch and groundcover under trees: spekboom as living mulch.
Spekboom or jade plant?
They are constantly confused, they are different plants, and one clue is the leaf: jade (Crassula ovata) tends to have a more pointed, glossy leaf and a different growth habit. Side-by-side photos and the other differences: spekboom or jade plant?.
Can you eat spekboom leaves?
Yes. The leaves are edible, sour and traditionally chewed, and recent research looked at how few South Africans actually know about it: the new research on eating spekboom. What they taste like and how they are traditionally used: can you eat spekboom leaves?. Standard caution applies to any plant: if you are unsure about identification or you are new to eating it, try a small amount first.
Buying spekboom from us
We grow and sell aloes and spekboom from Wilderness on the Garden Route. Current prices:
| Spekboom — potted plant (Portulacaria afra) | R120 |
| Spekboom gift pack — 3 plants | R300 |
Three plants for R300 works out cheaper per plant than buying singles, and three is what you want if the plan is a hedge or a groundcover patch rather than one pot on a stoep. The full range (spekboom and aloes) is on the shop page: plants for sale. If you want something specific or a larger number for a garden project, ask us directly: contact AloeRoots.
Spekboom questions people actually search for
How fast does spekboom grow?
Fast for a succulent — cuttings can make a usable hedge in about six months in good conditions, which is why it is the cheapest hedge you can plant if you propagate your own: spekboom cuttings.
Does spekboom need full sun?
It wants at least half a day of direct sun to look its best. It will live in shade, but it stretches and thins out.
Can spekboom survive frost?
Light frost, yes, with some leaf damage. Hard, repeated freezing, no. The detail, including how to protect plants in cold areas, is here: spekboom and frost.
Is spekboom the same as jade plant?
No. Different species that look similar in a small pot: spekboom or jade plant?.
Why are my spekboom leaves falling off?
Usually water or drainage — too wet, or a pot that never dries out. Full diagnosis here: why your spekboom leaves are falling off.
Keep reading
- Spekboom benefits & how to grow it (South Africa) — the main growing guide
- is spekboom really a carbon sponge? — what the carbon claims really say
- how much water spekboom really needs — how much water it actually needs
- spekboom and frost — cold and frost limits
- can you eat spekboom leaves? and the new research on eating spekboom — eating spekboom
- growing spekboom indoors, spekboom in pots: the soil mix, why your spekboom leaves are falling off — growing it in containers
- pruning spekboom, spekboom hedge spacing, spekboom cuttings, spekboom as living mulch — hedges, pruning and propagation
- spekboom or jade plant? — telling spekboom from jade plant
- spekboom for small gardens and balconies — spekboom for small gardens and balconies
- water-wise garden ideas for South Africa — water-wise garden ideas for South Africa
- why your aloe is turning brown or yellow — fixing an aloe that has gone brown or yellow