PlantFiles: Club Foot, Elephant's Trunk, Half-Man's, Halfmen
Pachypodium namaquanum

A staple now at C&S shows. Mine has been through it all. Left outside in a pot a couple of winters.It survived.Overwatered a spring or two, and the roots rotted.It survived. Grown outside for a few summers it didnt grow very much.
Now,I have it on the windowsill of a large southwestern facing window. This is where it is now putting on some size. In contrast to watering in our cool summers outdoors,in the blazing heat next to the window it enjoys much summer water and a little amount of fertilizer. A plant with little more than leaves in the late 90's,it's now has a trunk of 8". Even with the best care i doubt it would much more than 14" in 8 or 9 years time.Keeping it alive is easy,getting to grow large takes exacting conditions!

Plant grows in full sun on south-facing white wall in coastal San Diego. CA.

Inconsistent with typical information available on greenhouse grown p. namaquanum our experience has seen this survive winters with up to 35 inches of rain. It grows out in well drained mound. It flowers most years.
It is about 15"tall , 25 years old and has survived night temperatures for short periods at 26 degrees F.

A remarkable plant species. It is dormant from mid-June thru mid-September.

It really began to grow after putting it out into the soil from a greenhouse environment where it grew for 10 years.

THis plant will grow well in zone 10a in southern California, but my zone 9b was a bit too marginal for it... survived a few winters, but one particularly cold, rainy one rotted it. Have a friend with one in zone 9b though in a particularly nice draining soil and has survived 4 years so far (slow grower!). Loses leaves every fall and comes back in spring. So far no flowers, though.

In its native South Africa Pachypodium namaquanum is known as Halfmens or Half a Man because of the apparent nodding of the head as if in conversation.

The species curves toward the sun (North in S. Africa) during winter when it has leaves in order to increase photosynthesis. It remains dormant during the heat of the South African summer. This accounts for the characteristic curvature of the stem.

Blooms infrequently with yellow tubular flowers beginning at approximately 6 years old and 12” tall given all the right conditions. The example I have in my collection is of unknown age and 8” tall.

Indigenous to an extremely limited portion of South Africa this specialized succulent is known also known as Ghost-man. If moderatately watered in winter and little or no water is given in summer the plant will grow relatively fast, addition of diluted organic liquid fertilizer and/or hoof-and-horn meal to the plant at the beginning of the growing season (winter months, may start early and end in late spring if high humidity is experienced, not recomended though!) the stem can experience an annual growth rate of 4+ cm's. Commencement of the growing season is heralded by the shooting of new leaves. Plants like a light misting of the leaves in the evenings 2 or 3 times a week and a good deep water about once every 2 weeks in the growing season if the air is very dry, less so if humid, carefull watering is needed then as the plant may rot. If the roots rot through overwatering the plant is fairly easy to re-establish. Summer watering should commence after fruiting when the plant begins to drop its leaves.The most striking and attractive member of the genus. It is more frost hardy than one might think and can take winter temperatures to -4C if such frosts are not a regular occurence, otherwise greenhouse is best. Not a houseplant!!!!!