The plant offers many health reasons and it is an eady-to-grow food source. It is ideal for windy areas as a windbreak. Then … And the growing stands of elephant bush combat global warming. A South African shrub with succulent leaves, which is used for fodder during times of drought. The content herein is merely for information purposes and should not be taken as medical truth. Essentially, it acts as a carbon sponge, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and turning it into plant matter. Spekboom (aka Portulacaria afra) is a succulent that helps fight air pollution. (Gardening Eden wants to up this challenge to 20 spekboom trees in 2020 – add #20spekboomchallenge to your share) Because of this challenge, thousands of spekboom trees have since been planted and in some cases, the challenge amount has grown to 10 plants per person (or more). 7. The following are details of the gains that come from this plant. It is also an … This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra), also known as the Pork Bush or Elephant’s Food, is an indigenous South African plant making big waves on the local conservation scene.An incredibly hardy plant, Spekboom is mainly found in the Eastern Cape. It has the ability to ‘sequester’ or capture four to ten tons of carbon per hectare! More good news… Stellenbosch – outside Cape Town, South Africa – will soon host the largest African labyrinth with 13 circuits – consisting of spekboom trees. It will be called “The Great Labyrinth of Africa” and be built at the Stellenbosch Bridge Smart City development. Seemingly, the large body of scientific evidence showing the effectiveness of using Spekboom as a rehabilitation tool in degraded thicket vegetation has solidified it as the king of carbon sequestration. According to The Spekboom Foundation, spekboom’s capacity to offset harmful carbon emissions is compared to that of moist, subtropical forests. Ways to maintain good soil health . It also helps prevent soil erosion due to the nature of its roots. Spekboom are equipped with a unique mechanism for adapting to their surroundings. These cookies do not store any personal information. Spekboom is drought and fire-resistant. In frost-free regions they may be used in outdoor landscaping. Spekboom has a photosynthetic mechanism which allows it to adapt to all weather conditions so it can survive extreme conditions – from drought to frost. Spekboom can, however, be used for more than it’s carbon emission talents. Due to its unique photosynthetic procedures, this plant can thrive in desserts just as well as it would in rain forests. It promotes soil binding flora, which helps prevent erosion. Mozambican breastfeeding mothers believe these leaves help increasing their milk production by eating the leaves. Ten times over. Flourishing in semi-arid conditions, this plant can live for up to 200 years and grow as tall as five metres. Spekboom is the best plant for the beginner gardener because it needs very little attention. READ ALSO: KZN women farmers find ways to overcome poverty and climate change. Which is great since a single mature spekboom can remove 8.5kg of carbon a year. Managing diabetes doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice enjoying foods you crave. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. With the right spekboom resepte, you can come up with tasty salads that many people, more so those in the Eastern Cape would enjoy. The Spekboom is a nice-looking, indigenous to South Africa, drought-hardy plant. According to the South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Spekboom has an excellent ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and use it to create it’s own plant tissue. Keep them dry-moist and use river sand to root in – and ensure your final soil is well-draining. It’s basically a carbon sponge, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, and turning it into plant matter. It is known to have the capacity of taking in about 4 to 10 tonnes of carbon from a hectare's environment. Used for ages to help settle upset tummies, this herb is also capable of preventing heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Whether you choose to call it pork bush or elephant food, one thing is for sure. Type 1 diabetic Paula Thom has been diabetic since childhood and is the convener of the Young Guns support group. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Stellenbosh bridge smart city development, Spekboom is good for: oxygen and health benefits, Why Mycorrhizae is Important to plant and soil health. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Image: facebook.com, @starkayresSource: UGC. Keep in mind that typically 9.18 tons of carbon emissions per person are released from vehicles alone. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Here are a few ways through which spekboom is useful. ... Spekboom is a plant that is local to South Africa. Spekboom was meant to be the ultimate symbol of sustainable development, a plant that could fix ecosystems and making farmers bucketloads of money. Essentially, it acts as a carbon sponge, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and turning it into plant matter. More efficient use of water and improvements in soil health can lead to average crop yield increases of 79%. Eat the spekboom. But since the spekboom’s natural habitat is dry rocky places, there are certainly a great many sites in our arid country where it can be planted without displacing grassland, forest or other natural biomes or creating monotonous artificial landscapes … and it would make a good … It grows super easily, it is readily available in nurseries and it grows to be large (more biomass means more carbon stored). Scientific name: Portulacaria afra Synonyms: Spekboom, Bacon Tree, Pork Bush, Elephant’s Food, Elephant Bush, Dwarf Jade Plant. This makes it a powerful tool in the fight against climate change and the move towards a zero-carbon world. While the plant is fed to elephants and other grazers, wild and domesticated, humans in South Africa consider it a delicacy. Spekboom helps to fight air pollution as it can capture four to 10 tons of carbon per hectare. Since this anazing plant is a greenhouse hero, it shouldbe on every balcony and windowsill, and we believe all traffic islands and highways should be hedge-planted with it too. Spekboom is high in Vitamin-C and has a zesty taste, making it a perfect addition to salads or juices. Farming in small backyards: Urban homesteading. In fact, they can be used to treat dehydration and exhaustion as used traditionally. These plants are very easy to shape when a box hedge is desired. Portulacaria afra (known as elephant bush, dwarf jade plant, porkbush and spekboom in Afrikaans) is a small-leaved succulent plant found in South Africa. What Is Spekboom? Other names of Portulacaria Afra include porkbush and spekboom. Have you ever heard of spekboom? This plant has excellent properties that every family should gain from. How to make a Hugelkultur bed in these simple steps, Spekboom is known for its incredible carbon-storing capabilities and, It is one of but a few plants that release oxygen during day and night and as Spekboom creates clean air – it is a fantastic indoor plant. What Is Spekboom? While no one is suggesting that you chop down a whole plate of the plant, spekboom medicinal uses could push you to do so, especially if you find yourself hiking in the region where they are in plenty. Spekboom has skin soothing properties and treats ailments like rashes, insect stings, sunburn or blisters with crushed leaf juice. Recycling can make the world around us a cleaner place. Anything that helps make the world better by clearing pollution should be welcomed. By: BENEDICT MACLEOD . posted on: May 4th, 2018 . It makes for good animal fodder, but you’ve got to keep domestic animals off it because they damage the microclimate surrounding the plants. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. “Spekboom (aka Portulacaria afra) is indeed a wonder plant, an ecosystem engineer and a significant part of the ecology of the Albany Thicket Biome. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The succulent leaves turn more sour and bitter with the climbing sun. "We might have learned that we can exist only as a part of nature, not apart from nature." Fresh hake with a spekboom velouté. For the environment though, it does not help to try. The stems are good building material when dried and used as thatch for roofing of the huts/homes. Recycling plastic means there is less on the ground around us. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Portulacaria afra, family Portulacaceae ‘The thick succulent stems of spekboom readily sprout when a freshly-cut branch is simply inserted into soil.’ The plant is drought resistant and can thrive in harsh conditions hence its ability to withstand certain environmental hurdles. Flourishing in semi-arid conditions, this plant can live for up to 200 years and grow as tall as five metres. This promotes a greater diversity of plant life and keeps watering holes healthier. As long as you elliminate poor drainage and overwatering, you can’t really get it wrong. A stone done in 2010 that was designed to show the anti-hypercholesterolaemic effects of ginger on 48 rats, showed that ginger showed a significantly lowered level of lipid profile parameters at the 2 week mark and even more so at the 4 week mark. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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