WATCH IT GROW
Madagascar palms know how to survive
Posted on Sun, Jun. 29, 2008
By GEORGIA TASKER
GEORGIA TASKER / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Pachypodium geayi shows off its sculptural form.
Name: Madagascar palms
Botanical name: Pachypodium species
Descrip-
tion: Swollen trunks, spines and leaflessness in winter would hardly seem to describe an attractive garden specimen, but these characteristics of Pachypodium are so important in keeping the plants alive in Madagascar that you come to embrace them. These trees, which live in the most xeric conditions, are highly endangered, as are most plants in that country. Several species grow in the southern dry forest, while others grow in the arid west and northwest regions of that island nation. Those close to the sea receive moisture from fog and dew, which collects on the spines and runs down the trunks. They shed leaves to conserve water and, during rains, collect moisture in their trunks, enabling them to endure months without rain. When bare of leaves in winter, the plants flower. Pachypodium are found in a family of plants called Apocynaceae, which includes a number of Malagasy and African plants, such as Madagascar rubber vine and stapelia or carrion flowers, bridal bouquet, oleander and Madagascar periwinkle.
Height: 3 to 25 feet, depending on species
Light: full sun
Culture: Exceptionally fast-draining soils are needed for Pachypodium. The Madagascar spiny forest at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has been raised with sand to add extra drainage. Our Pachypodium grow in gritty soils dug up when the pool was put in. We do not irrigate this area, but in late spring, we fertilize with controlled-release palm special and keep the bed mulched. As companion plants, I have added desert roses, Adenium obesum, also in the Apocynaceae and also an African plant.
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