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Species library › Portulacaria › Portulacaria afra
Succulents Well documented

Portulacaria afra

Spekboom, a succulent shrub that forms dense thicket in the Eastern Cape and is widely grown as a bonsai and houseplant. It wants strong light, a fast-draining mix and careful watering; it is very forgiving otherwise.

Portulacaria afra
Photo: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Dominates dense, semi-arid subtropical thicket on hillsides and valleys, often in full sun, sometimes under taller shrubs.

Mostly lowland; records span 4–1,692 m, median 166 m.

Cape ProvincesKwaZulu-NatalNorthern ProvincesEswatiniMozambiqueKenya

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.