South Africa's Miracle Plant - Spekboom
For those of you that may speak Afrikaans, Dutch or even German you may appreciate the slight giggle most of us South Africans have when we mention this dainty succulent because the direct translation from Afrikaans to English for its name is "Bacon Tree" haha! An interesting name to say the least and definitely giggle worthy... and also not the only name it carries - some others are elephant bush and pork bush but this indigenous plant is also known just as well by another name - that being "the miracle plant".
A favourite munching snack of the elephant, yes, the succulent leaves are edible and make a wonderful addition to any salad. A small sprig of spekboom is also a really flavour enhancing addition to any stew or casserole.
The uses of this unsuspecting plant are literally countless - probably even more than the nasturtium which I wrote about not so long ago. The flowers are loved by insects, birds and bees because they are very rich in nectar so it is a wonderful way to attract these creatures into your garden.
The leaves - well, sucking on the juice of the leaves helps increase the flow of breastmilk so this is quite commonly used by Mozambican women. Much like Aloe, the juice from the leaves also has great antiseptic properties so it can be applied to any kind of rash, bite, sting or even sunburn. The crushed leaves are also super for treating pesky blisters.
Again, like the nasturtium, chewing the leaves can be used to treat sore throats and in more traditional, rural areas the leaves are sucked on to help alleviate dehydration as well as heat stroke.
Here in Saffer land it is pretty common to walk into a coffee shop or restaurant and find this succulent gracing the tables as part of the permanent decor - much like my photo above of a cutting which I recently potted for display on my dining room table. Spekboom is incredibly drought resistant which is probably one of the reasons why restaurants and such choose it for table decor... but despite its high levels of neglect resistance and the host of amazing uses which I have outlined above (not to mention plenty more)...
None of those are actually the reason this succulent is referred to as the miracle plant. Nope. It has earned that name because of its ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Yes, other plants do this, but what sets it apart is the volume! To quote...
spekboom can absorb between four to ten tonnes of carbon per hectare. This incredible tree uses carbon to make plant tissue and produce oxygen. According to The Spekboom Foundation, spekboom’s“capacity to offset harmful carbon emissions is compared to that of moist, subtropical forests. This remarkable plant is unique in that it stores solar energy to perform photosynthesis at night. This makes a spekboom thicket 10 times more effective per hectare at carbon fixing than any tropical rainforest.”
quote source
Pretty damn impressive, right?! Well I think so anyway - and definitely worthy of the title miracle plant! I know that my photos only show small pieces of spekboom and that is because I have just planted cuttings in my garden. I do have a slightly bigger bush, but at the moment it is hidden by thorn bushes and other plants in an area of the garden which I have yet to tend to... as you can see from the pic below:
But to give you a better idea of just how lovely this succulent is when it is established and healthy, I have grabbed a snap below from good old Google... They are also quite popular with the bonsai enthusiasts...
So, if you didn't know... now you know :) I will definitely planting more cuttings around my garden - in fact they make wonderful hedges too! I just want to see if my initial cuttings are successful first, so I know I don't need to change anything I am doing!
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Until next time...
Much Love from Country Bumpkinland, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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At first, I thought this is a plant I have in our garden.
It is edible but we don't plant it as it is quite aggressive and doesn't need to be planted, lol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea
Unfortunately due to its high water content, they all freeze and disappear in the winter to again reappear in the springs :)
I put the leaves in many kinds of salads, they always add freshness to the taste :)
Yes, I think that is the same plant - well Google seems to think so anyway haha - I am no expert, lol.
And yes, I suppose you could say it is a little invasive... I think the kinder term is "easy grower" haha!
We have so much "wild" here, it just fits right in :D
Hm, that's very interesting, as I have always been wondering what would happen if that monster doesn't "die" in the winter and keeps constantly growing. I love how it looks as a tree :)
I find its leaves not only a great addition to the salads but it appears its contents is awesome for our health...
Yes it has all sorts of benefits medicinally @lightcaptured - quite the wonder plant! And yes, agreed - it looks REALLY beautiful when turned into a "tree" - especially the bonsai styling!!!
I like how it blooms as well.
That's inspirational... Maybe I will pant some seeds in a pot and grow indoors only. It may turn into a tree then :)