WEMBLEY SPEKBOOM TO GREEN GREYTOWN

Spekboom (Portulacaria

afra) is the 2021 Tree of the year, and every Wembley scholar will be cultivating his or her own plant over the next year. Our aim is to give spekboom to people who lack greenery in their Greytown gardens.

Spekboom is indigenous to the Eastern Cape and characterises the subtropical thicket biome. It’s easily recogniseable on north and east facing mountain slopes, where bright green patches occur, usually intermixed with other shrubs.

Spekboom has an extensive root system that occupies a significant amount of space, and thus keeps loose soil from washing down the steep slopes when it rains. It is a pioneer species, attracting birds and small mammals. Seeds are transported in their excreta, aiding seed dispersal and the re-introduction of plants on transformed land. In addition to the attractive green foliage that can be shaped into a shrub, tree or hedge this ‘wonderplant’ is an excellent carbon store requiring minimal water and can be used as a food source. The plant produces tannins, which limit consumption and bestow a bitter taste.

Taking cuttings from existing spekboom plants, Wembley College’s eco committee has asked teachers and scholars to propagate more than 300 plants at school by the end of the 2021.

Each scholar will select someone who doesn’t have many plants in their garden and give them a plant. A competition is being held by the committee for the wackiest planting photo. An incredible prize is to be awarded for the best photo.

Greening Greytown is the real purpose behind our planting project. This is the first stage of an annual campaign to increase the diversity of indigenous plants in our town.