What is Pachypodium?
Pachypodium is a genus of barbed trees and shrubs originally from Africa, with 20 of 25 known species from Madagascar. Another five species come from continental South Africa. The name of the genus means "thick legs", referring to strong succulent trunks, which are used to store water and nutrients for drought times. The trunks of all types Pachypodium are covered with spines growing in volumes of two or three, although the spine can be worn and do not regenerate, leaving a smooth trunk. The belts, as well as a thickened suitcase, are an adaptation that allows trees to survive very dry climate because it is used to collect moisture from dew and fog. Some species are flattened dwarf trees and others have no branches. Some species have strains in the shape of a bottle, thick at the bottom, but thinning near the top.
p. Baronii , commonly called Madagascar Palm or Bontaka, grows only on the western side of Madagascar on Gneiss, granite or calcium rock. Has a short strain in the shape of a bottle, cylindrical branches and red flowers with yellow center. The flanges are red and furry, when they are young, ripening on brown and smooth structures. p. Lamerei can also be called Madagascar Palm. It is characterized by fragrant white flowers, albeit rarely flower.
Some other types of Pachypodium endemic on Madagascar are p. Ambongense , p. bicolor , p. p. Ambongense , also called Songosongo or Betono in Malagas Madagascar, is one of the most precious species. p. Bicolor grows on sandstone and has greenish red, hairy flowers. p. Breviculaule , which also grows on sandstone, is a dwarf species with a very flat trunk. p. Geayi is one of the highest types of Pachypodium that has a metal gray suitcase and white flowers.
p. Lealia , runningHarvesting a bottle tree due to its bottle -shaped trunk is endemic for South Angola and Namibia. It produces white flowers and a toxic, watery latex sap used by indigenous people to poison the arrows for hunting. p. It is one of the species without branches Pachypodium and has red velvet flowers that bloom in the autumn.
Two very similar species, p. gracilius and p. Horombes , are found in Madagascar and Africa. They have short, fat trunks and large, yellow, bell flowers. Both plants are sometimes considered as varieties of the type p. Rosulatum .