PlantFiles: Pachypodium
Pachypodium meridionale

We bought 2 Aprocynaccae Pachypodium plants from the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona in 1995 as "Madagascar Plants" They were quite expensive, $15 for a 6" high and $30 for a 10" high specimens. They had a 3' high one for $300! They looked exactly like the "geayi" variety shown as the photograph given on the web site: http//www.pharmakobotanik.de/systematik/7_bilder/yamasaki/yamas487.jpg from Tulear, Madagascar. They love our dry desert heat in Peoria, AZ and have grown to 5' & 8' tall. The 100 or so leaves on each are 18" long and tapered to a point from 1" wide. Below freezing temps will cause the leaves to wilt and fall off, but so far has no effect on the bases which are in excess of 6" diameter and growing with height. There are three one inch very sharp thorns coming out of a common auria (s.p.?) which cover the bases at 1" spacings. One thorn grows up and outwards slightly, while the other two go left and right and out at a larger angle. None go down. I doubt that any animal could bite a chunk out of the bases, as it is quite woody with serious thorns everywhere! From a distance, they look like a skinny Zulu with a green feathered warbonnet on! Ha. Of our 50 or so examples of cacti and "Lily" family members (Like Ocotillo), these guys (Periwinkles?) are the most unusual we have seen in 50 years of dessert living! Comments welcome. Phil and Joan at: [e-mail:RadarExpert@msn.com]