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Pachypodium lamerei Drake Madagascar palm
Madagascar palm is, in fact, a native of southern Madagascar (also southern Africa), but it is not a palm. Looking like a truly unique cross between a palm, a cactus, an agave, and perhaps an elephant's trunk, it is in a class by itself. Metaphorically at least—there are about 26 members of Pachypodium. The term means "thick foot," because of the thickened base of the trunk. It is not found in the wild in North America, though it is grown as a garden or house plant. For more on Pachypodium, see Pachypodium.org. Identification: Trunks are a smooth grayish silver, with spirally arranged sharp stiff 2″ (6 cm) spines that occur in groups of three. They are thick at the bottom, thinning toward the top, gray, sometimes with a sinuous bend, branching near the top. In nature, they reach up to 20′ (6 m) in height. (As house plants, they are 6′ (1.8 m) or less.) Leaves are up to 2′ (60 cm) long and 2″ (5 cm) wide, dark green, somewhat glossy, with a lighter middle vein. They are dropped in the winter. Flowers are attractive, white with yellow centers, with five petals, 2-5″ (5-12 cm) in diameter. Online References:
Pza.sanbi.org (Pachypodium) Cactus Art: the World of Cacti & Succulents
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 5 × 3′ (1.5 × 1 m)
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 2½ × 3½′ (76 × 114 cm)
Pachypodium lamerei description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
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2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 2½ × 4′ (87 × 131 cm)
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 3 × 4½′ (97 × 146 cm)
2/26/2010 · San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California
2/26/2010 · San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California Range: Zones 9-11:
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