Scientific Name
Portulacaria afra 'Medio-picta'
Common Name(s)
Midstripe Rainbow Bush
Synonym(s)
Portulacaria afra 'Kaleidoscope', Portulacaria 'Roulant'
Scientific Classification
Family: Portulacaceae
Subfamily: Portulacarioideae
Genus: Portulacaria
Origin
This succulent is a variegated cultivar of Portulacaria afra.
Description
Portulacaria afra 'Medio-picta' is a slow-growing succulent shrub with attractive bright reddish-pink stems and small glossy green leaves with broad white stripes down their middle. The leaves sometimes have little or no green. They are thick, fleshy, broadly obovate, up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, and up to 0.6 inches (1.5 cm) wide. Flowers are small, star-shaped, pink to mauve, and appear in profusion in dense sprays at the end of short lateral branchlets in late spring and early summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 9b to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Choose a location with indirect sunlight when growing Elephant Bush indoors. Overly bright sunlight can char the leaves and cause them to drop off. Ensure that the container you choose has wide drainage holes. The most common mistake made in succulent plants is watering. They are drought tolerant but do require watering from spring to fall. In winter, the plants are dormant, and you may suspend watering. Elephant Bush plants in the home interior should not have consistently wet feet. Make sure the pot drains well, and don't leave a saucer with water sitting under the container. Fertilize in late winter to early spring with an indoor plant fertilizer diluted by half.
Like most succulents, Elephant Bush is easy to reproduce from cuttings. Take cuttings in spring or summer for best results. Let the cutting dry out and callous for a couple of days, and then plant the cutting in damp gritty soil in a small pot.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for an Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra).
Links
- Back to genus Portulacaria
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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