AN AUSTRALIAN FODDER PLANT FOR THE ARID INTERIOR 

 (Portulacaria Afra. Jacq.) 



The following appeared in the Xew South Wales Agricultural 

 Gazette recently : It is self-evident that it is desirable to grow any 

 good fodder plant that will flourish in the arid interior. Our choice 

 of plants for such situations is not great. Let me draw attention to 

 what Don calls the African purslane tree. The Boers of South 

 Africa name it spekboom (fat tree). It is a tall shrub or small tree, 

 growing up to 10 or 12 feet in height. It has small round fleshy 

 leaves, which is not surprising, since it belongs to the Porlnlaca 

 family, of which w r e have one specially-useful member in this 

 country, the common purslane (Porlulaca oleracea), which has 

 enabled many a mob of cattle to traverse a waterless stage. 



Following is what Baron von Mueller says of the purslane tree 

 in his Select Plants : " Affords locally the principal food for 

 elephants ; excellent also for sheep pasture, according to Professor 

 McOwan ; hence this succulent shrub may deserve naturalisation 

 on stony ridges, and in sandy desert land not otherwise readily 

 utilised. Would likely prove acceptable to camels also. Mr. T. R. 

 Sim states that all kinds of pasture animals eat it readily, and when 

 grass is scarce nearly live on it. Grows on hot rocky slopes. 

 Likes particularly doleritic soil. Displays an extraordinary 

 recuperative power when broken by browsing animals, or when 

 injured from other causes. The trunk will attain one foot in diameter 

 (McOwan). Cultivated by the author already in Victoria forty 

 years ago." 



Its native home is the Karoo, the arid country in South Africa 

 which appears to present so strong a resemblance to much of our 

 far interior. I cannot find any record of it having been tried in the 

 far west, and I recommend it for careful trial for the following 

 reasons : 



1. It may be readily propagated, rooting readily from cuttings 



and even solitary leavesduring the greater part of the year. 



2. It has no thorns or prickles, nor any objectionable charac- 



teristics that I know of. 



3. Like many succulents, it attains its greatest luxuriance in 



hot, dry localities. 



4. Stock are fond of it, its succulent leaves providing both 



food and water for them ; it is reputed to be moderately 

 nutritious. 



I am not inclined to go into ecstasies over any plant, but I see 

 no reason why this one should not usefully supplement the scanty 

 vegetation of our desert country. South Africa has put some of our 

 Salt-bushes to good use ; let us make u.sc of her purslane tree by 

 way of reciprocity. 



It is a very brittle plant ; hence stock easily break the plants up 



in their eagerness to eat them. The same thing applies to the Old 



; Salt-bush, which will assuredly become extinct unless it is pro- 



