Scientific Name

Pachypodium lamerei Drake

Common Name(s)

Madagascar Palm, Club Foot

Synonym(s)

Pachypodium ramosum, Pachypodium menabeum, Pachypodium champenoisianum, Pachypodium rutenbergianum var. lamerei, Pachypodium rutenbergianum f. lamerei

Scientific Classification

Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Apocynoideae
Tribe: Malouetieae
Genus: Pachypodium

Description

Pachypodium lamerei is a semi-deciduous succulent tree with a silver-gray trunk, generally solitary or scarcely branched and covered with sharp spines. The thick fleshy stem grows up to 20 feet (6 m) tall and up to 1 foot (30 cm) in diameter. Leaves are green, narrow, and arranged spirally, mostly just at the top of the plant. The spines are up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) long. Flowers are white with a yellow center, up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) long, up to 4.4 inches (11 cm) in diameter, and appear in summer. The plant rarely blooms indoors. Seed pods are up to 8 inches (20 cm) long and look like cucumbers.