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Pachypodium geayi
GREY MADAGASCAR "PALM"
Not a true palm, of course, its common name is derived from the fact that young plants grow up in a straight, single trunk, crowned by a symmetrical crown of leaves on top in "palm-like" fashion. But the similarity ends quickly after that. The trunk is a beautiful, shiny metallic silver and thoroughly armed with a shell of crisscrossing thorns. As it grows older, the base becomes fat and swollen, and beautiful white, fragrant flowers emerge at the crown. Flowering terminates the growth point, so as soon as the flower stem is discarded, branching occurs at that point, and thus begins the formation of bizarre branching above the fattened trunk beneath. This plant does not look like it is from this world! Large, older specimens are very valuable. Growth is slow and can eventually reach heights of 10 feet; tender to frost; full sun. Appreciates ample watering with a brief dry interval between, fertilize as needed to keep its lush appearance.
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