Madagascar-palm
Pachypodium lamerei
Dogbane family (Apocynaceae)
Fragrant windmill
The scientific name Pachypodium means ‘thick foot’. Its thick, grey stem, protected by three-needled, sharp spines is very striking. It is only found on Madagascar. This family has petals arranged like a child’s windmill and poisonous sap.
Although it looks very much like a cactus or a euphorb (spurge), it does not belong to either family and despite its vernacular name is not a palm tree either. It is often so hot in its natural habitat is that it drops its leaves so that all that remain are sessile tufts of leaves on the stem. Beautiful, fragrant white flowers are also found at the top of the trunk.
It is a favourite with collectors of succulent and their relatives, because of its quaint appearance and is easy to cultivate.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Zuidas Botanic Garden.
The species has become one of the best known pachypodiums in cultivation as they are relatively easy to propagate and grow. It is often sold as the 'Madagascar palm', despite it not being a palm at all. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
The plant bears large, fragrant flowers.
Details
Description: | Succulent, shrub or small tree with thick, thorny stems bearing a closely spaced cluster of narrow leaves near the apex. |
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Distributions: | Southern madagascar |
Habitat: | On limestone or sedimentary rocks in dry forest or in full sun up to 750 m in altitude. |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
Hardiness: | Warmer than 59 f (heated glasshouse - tropical) |
Flower color: | White, yellow |
Notes on flowers: | Bearing terminal clusters of yellow-throated white flowers 10 cm across. |