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Thursday, August 14, 2008

How was your day?


Good evening fellow bloggers! I got home from work and decided to make a rough sketch of one of my favorite pachypodiums...P. Saundersaii
It is a really good looking succulent with a large caudex (the part that makes it so alluring to me), and it forms multiple arms with leaves at the top. It is VERY COOL.

According to Bid or Buy ,

Pachypodium is a plant genus that belongs to the family, Apocynaceae. Pachypodium comes from Greek pachy (thick) and podium (foot), hence meaning thick-footed.


All Pachypodium are succulent plants that exhibit, to varying degrees, the morphological characteristics of pachycaule trunks and spinescence. These are the most general features of the genus and can be considered distinguishing characteristics.

The pachycaule trunk is a morphologically enlarged trunk that stores water so as to survive seasonal drought or intemitent periods of root desiccation in exposed, dry, and rocky conditions. Whereas there is great variation in the habit of the plant body, all Pachypodium exhibit pachycaul growth. Variation in habit can range from dwarf flattened plants to bottle shaped shrubs to dendroid-shaped trees. The second general characteristic of Pachypodium is spinescence, or having spines. The spines come clustered in either pairs or triplets with these clusters often arranged in rings or whorls around the trunk. Spines emerge with leaves, and like leaves grow for a short period before stopping growth and hardending. Spines do not regenerate so weathering and abrasion can wear away all but the youngest spines from older specimens - leaving smooth trunks and branches.
To some extent, branches are a characteristic of the genus. Some caution is warranted in over-generalizing this characteristic. Pachypodium namaquanum is often branchless. Pachypodium brevicaule has no clear branches, and indeed may have evolved an alternative to branching in the form of nodes from which leaves, spines, and inflorescences emerge. In general Pachypodium have few branches. Since the environmental stresses and factors that contribute to branching can vary widely even in small areas, individual plants of the same species exhibit wide variation in branching morphology.
Unlike many members of the Apocynaceae, including some members of the superficially similar Adenium, Pachypodium species do not exude a milky latex. Rather, the sap is always clear.Pachypodium are native to Madagascar and continental Southern Africa, i.e. Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Here, at Bid or Buy I can bid on ONE (1) seed for this plant. WOW!!!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found plants the right size at http://www.seedsplants.com/ResultChoix2.php?Lang=en&YY=Carac&VV=Designation%20ASC&TypP=S&SearchNameB=Pachypodium&Titre=Pachypodium

Prices seemed reasonable and I may buy one myself. This is one neat plant.

Wicked Gardener said...

As I'm reading this I'm thinking Wow, I can't pronounce any of this! :D Cool plant. Isn't it amazing how adaptive plants are?

Tootsie said...

hey girl...just want to let you know I am thinking of you! I am trying to find a plan to make a succulent house for you...if it works..i may make one to send to you! thanks for the information here today...I learned lots!

soulbrush said...

i wonder if this is a relative of the pachyderm family? (elephants, rhinos etc)

Julie said...

Hey Randy- check out this place...great prices:
http://www.aridlands.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=30&osCsid=57c9246b1141f9ebcdcb6a0300a48e80

Julie

Julie said...

Soul B- Yes...it is named this for it's big pachy-like foot!!!

Aiyana said...

I have two kinds, the P. saundersii and P. lamerei. I had to cut the first one back as it was just long and skinny and not developing a thick caudex. Pruning it back has helped thicken up the stem, but still not much of a caudex forming. Maybe too young. I do like Pachypodium--they always look great when leafed out.
Aiyana

Julie said...

Aiyana---Wonderful! I am so happy you have 2!!! I love the saundersii's look. Do you have them posted on your blog? I will go see if I can find them!

Ashraf sharif said...

thank you , more succulent live in africa but i do not have them ,lol.

pepole Thailand sell pachypoduim in street, you can see that in this web http://www.thaimisc.com/freewebboard/php/vreply.php?user=mycacti&topic=4921

Julie said...

م .اشرف شرف الدين الشريف-
Oh my gosh, I have never seen such beautiful succulents and cactus! The growing conditions must be perfect there! The truncatas, and so many other stunning ones! Oh, I looked at all 4 pages...they are do beautiful. I want to go there now and buy them ALL!!! LOL!!! Thanks SO MUCH for sending!!!

Ashraf sharif said...

and me want go there to buys all

very very beautifull, you can buy from thailand to visa card but me can not

Teri said...

It IS an amazing -looking plant.

Anonymous said...

http://pachypodium-indonesia.blogspot.com

Greeting from Indonesia.
My book about Pachypodium have been published in Agustus 2008 by PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama - Indonesia (http://www.gramedia.com). This book written in Bahasa Indonesia. If you interested to buy this book you can contact publisher of this book (http://www.gramedia.com).

Julie said...

Pachypodium-Indonesia: Thankyou!

chuck b. said...

Here's a picture of Pachypodium laemeri I took at UC Berkeley. What a remarkable plant.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/237930862_7f9b4d24e6_b.jpg

Funny that they don't exude a milky sap. I certainly assumed they would.

Julie said...

Chuck- that looks like a cristate form of the plant!!! Awesome!!! Thanks for showing!!!