A South African shrub with succulent leaves, which is used for fodder during times of drought.
〈南非〉马齿苋树
Portulacaria afra, family Portulacaceae
Example sentencesExamples
The more succulent and spiny shrubs such as spekboom and small bitterleaf, which can survive with little moisture and high temperatures, grow inland.
However, defoliation during winter has a depressing effect on growth, and so as much resting as possible is advisable in winter, particularly in areas in which spekboom has low vigour.
The spekboom gives good cover to the various browsers on the farm.
Sweet thorn, wild olive, karee species, spekboom, sneezewood, guarri, milky rope, tree fuchsia and many varieties of succulents, vines and creepers are to be found here in abundance.
The thick succulent stems of spekboom readily sprout when a freshly-cut branch is simply inserted into soil.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from Afrikaans, from spek 'bacon' + boom 'tree'.