About Portulacaria namaquensis Sond.
Portulacaria namaquensis Sond. grows to a height between 1.3 and 1.8 metres (4 ft 3 in to 5 ft 11 in). It typically produces small, ovoid, club-shaped succulent leaves. These leaves are deciduous and grow densely along its stems. Its stems are stout, grow upward, and branch by forking. This species grows very slowly, and its flowers are usually unisexual. In the wild, its natural distribution runs along the Orange River valley on the border between Namibia and South Africa. It has also been recorded growing near the coast slightly further north in Namibia. Its native habitat is an extremely arid area that receives winter rainfall. For cultivation, it requires extremely well-drained soil, and it is usually grown grafted onto a rootstock of the more resilient Portulacaria afra.
