This new selection of Elephant Food performs great as a ground cover or in container. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. Stop fertilizing during the winter and restart the monthly fertilizing in late winter with a 50% diluted fertilizer. Central Phoenix -- Dwarf elephant food (Portulacaria afra minima) is a great succulent groundcover for many locations. It is commonly called elephant food plant or elephant bush, for its largest foragers and is a favorite of black rhinos, kudu and domesticated goats and cattle. In its native habitat, the plant is heavily browsed and eaten by elephants, wild game, and tortoises. Elephant Bush, Elephant Food, Elephant's Food, Elephant Plant, Miniature Jade, Dwarf Jade, Dwarf Jade Plant, Small Leaf Jade, Porkbush, Spekboom Portulacaria afra Jacq.. Common Names. Variegated Elephant Food is a very unique succulent shrub that has many landscape uses. It grows to about 6 inches tall with a 4-6 foot spread and is excellent for use as a groundcover. Easy to grow. This plant’s segmented stems are bright red to reddish-brown; Budget Plants is your California online nursery. Variegated Elephant Food is a multi-stemmed annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Description of Dwarf Jade Plant, Portulacaria afra. Trees Shade Trees, Screening Trees, Flowering Trees, and more! Variegated Elephant Food makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Variegated Elephant Food is a very unique succulent shrub that has many landscape uses. It has small, circular, fleshy, bright green foliage on reddish-brown stems. Elephant Food is named for being a favorite food source for elephants in Africa. An easy care plant that does well in partial to full sun and is drought tolerant when established. your own Pins on Pinterest The qualities and features are similar but Portulacaria Afra “Variegata” has green stripes and an attractive hue of variegated cream. In the future, it is planned that they will graze upon trees for food, but for now they eat grass and cave moss like all other grazing animals. Elephants eat parts of the plant, and spit out the leaves and seeds, which help to propagate the plant. Never seen flowers. How to care for your elephant ears indoors It has attractive round, glossy leaves on long arching succulent branches. The Dwarf Elephant Ear (Alocasia California) plant is better suited for growing indoors, as these plants can only grow as much as 3 feet high with 12 inch leaves. Dwarf Elephant Food Portulacaria afra prostrata. Elephant Ears love hot, humid climates. Elephants eat parts of the plant, and spit out the leaves and seeds, which help to propagate the plant. Dwarf elephants first inhabited the Mediterranean islands during the Pleistocene, including all the major islands with the apparent exception of Corsica and the Balearics.Mediterranean dwarf elephants have generally been considered as members of the genus Palaeoloxodon, derived from the continental straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon antiquus (Falconer & Cautley, 1847), Syn. Plants never grow above 6” tall, and are quite often even more prostrate. Dwarf Jade Plant, Miniature Jade, Elephant Bush, Elephant Plant, Elephant’s Food, Porkbush, Spekboom, Yellow Rainbow Bush, Small Leaf Jade. They are simple to care for and make easy houseplants for a sunny location. Portulacaria afra (known as elephant bush, dwarf jade plant, porkbush and spekboom in Afrikaans) is a small-leaved succulent plant found in South Africa. Elephant’s Food, don’t let its odd name fool you, this is an attractive succulent with rubbery stems and tiny chubby leaves that people and elephants can’t resist! Description . Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. These succulents commonly have a reddish stem and leaves that are green, but also a variegated cultivar is often seen in cultivation. This little succulent has done quite well for us in the sun and shade. SucculentShop.co.za Page: 3 named for being a favorite food source for elephants in Africa. Luckily, it’s a bonsai plant that has plenty of alternatives (elephant bush, porkbush, dwarf jade plant, and spekboom, in Afrikaans, just to name a few! Grows to 3-6 inches tall and 3 feet wide in sun or shade. Hardiness: Zone 9: 20˚F, Portulacaria afra minima (Dwarf Elephant Food). 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