Pachypodium lamerei - Meet the Plants - National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database

Meet the Plants

Home

Photo Gallery

Choose A Plant

Permission to Use Photos

Links

Kids' Corner!

Currently Viewing: Pachypodium lamerei

Pachypodium lamerei - Flowering branches

P. Goltra

Other Resources for Pachypodium lamerei

Habit (photo)

Taxonomy:

Pachypodium lamerei Drake (Apocynaceae)
Common Names: Boadaka, Bontaka, Vontaka, Vohely

Classification:

Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division; Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Dicotyledonae
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Pachypodium
Species: lamerei

Description:

Pachypodium lamerei is a cactus-like succulent with a thick, spiny gray trunk growing 2-5 m. high. When kept as houseplants, they are much smaller.

The trunk is covered with 5 cm long spines and the foliage is arranged spirally near ends of branches, with leaves about 10-40 x 3-10 cm. The star-shaped flowers are white with a yellow throat and sometimes red tinge, lightly fragrant and similar in appearance to those of plumeria. They grow in clusters and are about 25-65 mm long by 17-41 mm wide. The fruits are reddish brown and oblong (about 15 x 4 cm) and always grow in pairs.
RAPANARIVO, S., AND A. J. M. LEEUWENBERG. 1999. Pachypodium (Apocynaceae): Taxonomy, Habitats and Cultivation. Balkema.

Geographic Distribution:

This plant is native to Madagascar, although it is grown in gardens throughout the dry tropics. In its native habitat it can be found in dry, rocky and sandy soils up to 1200 m elevation.

Pachypodium lamerei is the most widely distributed species of the genus in Madagascar.
RAPANARIVO, S., AND A. J. M. LEEUWENBERG. 1999. Pachypodium (Apocynaceae): Taxonomy, Habitats and Cultivation. Balkema.

Status:

All members of the genus are prohibited from international trade by CITES. There is however a legal and sustainable nursery trade in plants grown from seed and cuttings.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachypodium)

Scientific Research:

Two significant adapations allow Pachypodium species to survive in dry, hostile environments: “pachycaul” trunks, and spines.

The thick, internally pithy trunks of Pachypodium facilitate water storage similar to a cactus. The trunks and stems can also photosynthesize, making the leaves, which can cause rapid water evaporation from the plant, unnecesary in times of drought. Spines help condense moisture from fog or dew into drops which fall at the base of the plant
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachypodium)

Native Legends and Names:

The generic name comes from the greek words “pachy” meaning thick and “podium” meaning foot.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachypodium)

Share This Page | Back to top

Choose a Plant

Users of this search feature should note that common names are often used for more than one plant species.
When searching for common names in the Hawaiian language, the name may include okina, each instance represented by an apostrophe (') or glottal stop (`).