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Elephant Bush

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Elephant Bush

  • ​​​Common Name: Elephant Bush
  • Scientific Name: Portulacaria afra
  • Family Name: Didiereaceae
  • Origin: South Africa
  • Height: 8 to 12 ft
  • Width: 4 to 6 ft
  • Growth: Slow
  • Zone: USDA Zones 9 through 11
  • Light needs: Bright, indirect light
  • Salt tolerance: Moderate
  • Soil/pH/Texture: Needs very well-drained soil, such as a cactus potting mix, with a circumneutral pH (6.5 to 7.5).
  • Moisture: Moderate water needs once established. Water regularly, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.
  • Drought tolerance: High
  • Pests/Diseases: Susceptible to root rot when overwatered.
  • Growing conditions: Grow elephant bush in a well-drained area, as too much water will cause root rot. Water this plant regularly during warm months, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings, then restrict watering during winter. Light should be bright but indirect, as direct sun can burn the leaves. Elephant bush is both heat and drought tolerant, but not frost tolerant, and will need to be brought indoors if night temperatures drop below 40°F.
  • Characteristics: This many-stemmed succulent may have one or more large trunk-like stems from which the smaller, leaf-covered stems grow. Stems are reddish-brown in color. The leaves, which are emerald-green, succulent, and round, grow oppositely along the stem.  The tiny pink flowers are borne on branched peduncles at the ends of stems. Fruits are small, pink, and berry-like, each containing a single seed. Flowers and fruits are rare in cultivation.
  • Propagation: By cuttings.
  • Wildlife: The edible foliage is commonly eaten in the wild by elephants, goats, tortoises, and other herbivores. Small insects pollinate the flowers.
  • Facts: The leaves are edible and used for a variety of purposes. In South Africa the leaves are added to salads and soups to add a sour flavor. It is used medicinally to treat skin conditions and other ailments. It is sometimes fed to livestock during droughts. Elephant bush should not be confused with Jade Plant (Crassula ovata), which has toxic foliage. It is a promising plant for carbon sequestration due to its ability to use both C3 and CAM carbon fixation and is used in South Africa to restore areas damaged by overgrazing.
  • Designer considerations: It is commonly planted in hanging baskets and mixed succulent gardens/containers. It is also a popular bonsai plant.