Not Your Typical Palm

The Tucson Gardener

Cherry tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes in a basket.

Current Cultivations

Garden Clubs

Garden Books

In the Garden Calendar

Tucson's Wildlife

Portulaca.
Portulaca in a plastic basket.

Local Garden Links

Links for Special Needs

The Archive

Zinnias.

You're visiting Tucsongardener.com

Not Your Typical Palm
The needle studded trunk of the Madagascar palm, Pachypodium lamerei, is anything but common in Tucson even though it looks well suited for the desert environment. The succulent is native to its namesake Madagascar and really isn't a palm at all.

Its upright growth habit and cascading leaves give it a palm appearance. The plants are frost sensitive so they need to be a houseplant or container plant that can be moved to a safe location over the winter to avoid frost damage.

Pachypodium lamerei, the Madagascar Palm.
The grey, needled studded trunk of the Madagascar Palm.

The small, 10-inch high specimen shown above gets moved to the greenhouse in the fall where it loses all its leaves. In the spring its moved to the ramada where it quickly grows new leaves for the summer.

Large, older specimens are known to produce Plumeria like white flowers. Like most succulents, the plant needs to be grown in good draining soil. (2004)

The Tucson Gardener - Tucson's Gardening Information Site
Copyright© 1998-2009. All Rights Reserved Disclaimer
No material, written or photographic, may be reprinted or used without written permission.
Contact Information.