Description
Pachypodium succulentum forma cristata is a nice succulent with a thin crested trunk. The grey stem will soon form an heavily convoluted fan-shaped or snaky ridged cluster. The comb-shaped foliage is arranged only at the top of the trunk.
The standard Pachypodium succulentum is a slow-growing caudiciform succulent shrublet with a large half-submerged tuberous stem.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
They seem to be particularly prone to rot if allowed to get too wet in winter, or if cultivated under less than ideal conditions and care. Water abundantly in summer and give extra well-drained soil to avoid waterlogged conditions. No water from November to March. The watering program will change, depending on temperatures and stage of growth, but it is best not to let this plant dry out completely for any length of time. It is sensitive to cold, and should be kept totally dry in winter, at or around 4°C. Protect from frost. It tends to lose its leaves and go dormant in winter. It likes full sun to light shade. It develops a great, succulent root system that you could raise up yearly and it would look better and better.
Propagation: Grafting. Stem cuttings can also be rooted, though with more difficulty.
Notes
Pachipodium succulentum can be confused with the sympatric Pachypodium bispinosum when not flowering. In fact the spiny branches of both sprout from a proportionally huge cauduciform taproot but flowers and flowering times are different, and the two species do not hybridize in habitat.
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