€100,70

Pachypodium succulentum (L.f.) Sweet

Pie gordo · Dikvoet · Succulent Pachypodium · Elephant's Foot

🌱 Morphology
Small caudiciform and succulent shrub, slow-growing, characterized by a large partially buried tuberous stem that can reach approximately 15 cm in diameter. Most of this storage organ remains underground, where it stores water and resources to survive prolonged periods of drought.

Several relatively thin, erect, or somewhat twisted branches emerge from the caudex, which can reach about 60 cm in length. Young branches are green and become more grayish or brown with age. They feature pairs of straight, relatively short spines located at the nodes.

The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, and fleshy, up to approximately 4.5 cm long, and appear scattered along the branches or clustered toward their ends. They may drop during unfavorable periods, leaving the spiny branches bare.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Family Apocynaceae. It is endemic to South Africa, with a wide distribution that includes the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State provinces. Kew classifies it as a caudiciform shrub mainly native to desert and dry scrub biomes.

It inhabits rocky and stony places, among succulent scrub and dry vegetation, where drainage is very fast and water can be absent for long periods.

Its main adaptation to aridity is the enormous underground tuberous stem: while the branches and leaves are exposed to evaporation, the caudex protected underground acts as a water reserve.

❄️ Temperature
USDA Zone 9b–11b. It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −3 ºC, as a reference point for well-acclimated specimens that are kept completely dry and protected from moisture.

Although it comes from relatively cold regions of South Africa, cold hardiness should not be confused with resistance to winter moisture. The risk increases considerably when the caudex and roots remain damp at low temperatures.

During winter, it is recommended to keep it very dry and protected from prolonged frosts.

☀️ Lighting
Indicative DLI PAR: 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹.

It is a high light-demand species that grows compactly with intense lighting. Under proper conditions, it can receive direct sun, provided that acclimation is gradual.

Insufficient lighting encourages branch elongation and reduces the plant's characteristic compactness.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Its cycle is adapted to the marked seasonality of rainfall in Southern Africa. During the favorable period, it produces leaves and new shoots, while during the unfavorable season, it may lose some or all of its foliage and considerably reduce its activity.

During active growth, it is recommended to water abundantly and let the substrate dry out completely before the next watering. The large caudex allows it to maintain reserves during long periods of drought.

As dormancy approaches, watering should be spaced out progressively. During winter, especially if temperatures are low or the plant has lost its leaves, it should be kept practically dry.

Leaf loss is a normal physiological response to unfavorable conditions and does not necessarily mean the plant is losing vitality.

🌸 Flowering
The flowers appear in small groups toward the ends of the branches. They feature a narrow tubular corolla that opens into five flat lobes, generally pink to crimson, with a darker central stripe; exceptionally, they can be white.

Flowering occurs along with the leaves, mainly between September and December in South Africa, coinciding with the period of vegetative activity. In Spain, this may shift to approximately March–June, depending on temperatures and the cycle followed by the specimen.

There is considerable variation in the size and color of the flowers. Some historical names, such as Pachypodium griquense and P. jasminiflorum, are currently considered synonyms of P. succulentum, and not independent species.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, Desert CHOICE® Succulents is recommended, applied after watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.

Fertilizing is not recommended during dormancy, while the plant remains without leaves, or when temperatures are low.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

📏 Gourmet xerophyte in a 9x9 cm pot.

* Since this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The photo description specifies the plant's measurements, but this can also vary slightly, because it is a living being! Each of the Desert CITY plants has unique characteristics.

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