The spekboom, Afrikaans for 'Pork bush', or Portulacaria afra as its known in Latin has proven itself to be something of a miracle plant. It has the ability to sequestrate carbon dioxide at the astonishing rate of 3-5 TONS per hectare per annum - which is higher than that of tropical rainforest. There is an initiative in South Africa, which I've just started lending a hand to, called the 'Spekboom Carbon and Poverty Alleviation Project' which as the name suggests seeks to educate people by planning a number of initiatives with schools on planting trees, entrepreneurship, global warming, environmentalism etc. and help to create employment for destitute people in rural communities. Along with this our goals are to mitigate climate change, help with the restoration of previously degraded ecosystems due to overgrazing and other examples of poor land use, entice wildlife into and green urban areas, etc. I've just spent an afternoon planting the first 120 cuttings in an area of my back garden, which once rooted we plan to distribute to restaurants, garden centres and botanical gardens throughout the length and breadth of the country. This plant is truly awesome and I'd recommend you learn more about how it can help to save the planet if you're into gardening, conservation, etc. Just thought I'd mention this, because I'm finding it fascinating and maybe it could lead to someone undertaking a similar type of program in the UK and/or elsewhere.

Wow....my area where i live at these thing were planted all over the complex

Good stuff bru, that means that change has already begun overseas too yet maybe they aren't aware of how beneficial their planting of Portulacaria really was! I take it that was in the southern United States? These succulent plants are a tad on the frost sensitive side especially when young and thrive in hot dry climates as one would expect.

Better than a load of fucking windmills

can u eat em as well

CO2 Absorbed per hectare (stem) (UK) 7.47 to 11.25t
CO2 Absorbed per hectare (root and leaf) UK) 1.40 to 2.06t

I reckon it would be higher in a more temperate country too

pity it is illegal eh

I concur, what a blight on the landscape they are. Spare a thought for all the innocent migrating birds that get turned into mince.



Actually you can, I ate a leaf on Sunday, it tastes pleasantly sour but its nothing to write home about. Zulu's eat them in times of famine and elephants love them hence the name 'Elephants Food' which its also called sometimes.



Do those stats refer to MJ Hughie? If so I'd appreciate it if you could quote your reference as it may come in useful for my work.

That only happened with old-fashioned windmill designs - modern ones don't chew birds up.

What are they going to do with the plants once they have sequestered the CO2 - ¿burn them?

Bury them, maybe...

The spekboom is a member of the Portulacaceae family. Most attractive in full bloom when it is a mass of soft pink, the Porkbush has a succulent glossy red-brown trunk and bears a dense crown of succulent leaves and stems. A profusion of small, starry pink nectar-rich flowers are displayed at the ends of branchlets, and are followed by tiny papery three-winged fruits. The nectar-rich flowers lure many insects (this is an excellent bee tree), which in turn attract insectivorous birds. In drier areas the plant provides excellent fodder for stock and game. In Mozambique breastfeeding mothers eat the leaves to increase their milk supply. Propagate it from cuttings, which must be kept fairly dry to prevent rot. Allow the cleanly cut edges of the cuttings to dry out for a few days before planting in well-drained river sand. It grows fairly fast and may be closely planted to form a hedge, used as an ornamental succulent tree for a rockery, or planted to check soil erosion. It makes a beautiful bonsai. The Porkbush can be planted in a large container on a sunny patio, but don't forget to water it when the container dries out. Feed the container with bonemeal (dig in with a small fork) and slow release 3:1:5 fertiliser (about a tablespoon-full) at intervals of 6 weeks throughout summer. Flowering time October - November in SA (but don't forget to add six months for the Northern Hemisphere). Also known as iGqwanitsha in Xhosa and isiCococo in Zulu.

this is an excerpt from a book I own called 'Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants: A South African Guide' by Pitta Joffe.

Attached are 2 photos of spekboom (the bright green plants) in its natural habitat where it can grow to almost 4 meters high forming dense thicket which is capable of hiding a herd of fully grown African elephants. I watched them do just that in the Addo Elephant Park in Eastern Cape.

whats the compost like that you get from them bet its rich with all that carbon in it

Haha yeah I was joking Scrib I understand that even though the plant is an evergreen it has a habit of continually shedding its leaves, which then transfer the CO² into the ground. As you must be aware burning would be counter-productive due to the CO² being released as the plant matter combusted. The following links provide more information on the matter.
h##p://www.baviaansrun.za.net/component/content/article/24-spekboom.html
h##p://www.r3g.co.za/index.php?p=strph

I actually emailed Mike Powell, who conducted a lot of the research into Spekboom, in the hope of using some of his research (fully referenced of course!) for my final year dissertation, but that didn't pan out favourably because I dropped out.

Hi groovelick, I can't say I know what the compost is like because I haven't had a proper look yet, but I'll try to get back to you on that one when more research has taken place.

Thanks for the link Hughie, appreciate it!