Portulacaria

( port - yew - lak - KAY - ree - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

This group of succulent perennials, also called Elephant's Food, is native to South Africa and performs best when grown in zones 8, 9, 12-24, H1 and H2 (To find your zone, click here: Zone Map). They can grow in either full sun or full shade, and need little to moderate water. It can be grown outdoors but will need frost protection. It can get 12 feet tall and just as wide, with thick stems and green leaves. It looks a little like a Jade plant and is sometimes sold as a 'Miniature Jade Plant'. Rarely blooms in North America. It can be used as an informal hedge or screening plant, and small specimens are good for training as bonsai. There are a few forms with variegated leaves, including 'Tricolor' and 'Variegata', both of which are slower-growing than the species and doesn't get as big.