Pachypodium rosulatum
Pachypodium rosulatum | |
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P. rosulatum in Isalo N. P., Madagascar | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Genus: | Pachypodium |
Species: | P. rosulatum
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Binomial name | |
Pachypodium rosulatum Baker 1882
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Synonyms | |
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Pachypodium rosulatum, common name elephant's foot plant, belongs to the family Apocynaceae.
Description[edit]
Pachypodium rosulatum is a shrubby perennial caudiciform plant with a bottle-shaped trunk, brownish silver and almost spineless, about 10–15 centimetres (3.9–5.9 in) wide and about 20–35 centimetres (7.9–13.8 in) tall. From the caudex depart many thorny cylindrical arms, forming a shrub about 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) tall. The leaves, which fall in the dry season, form a rosette on the top of branches. They are deciduous, dark green, oblanceolate, ovate or elliptical and petiolated. The long-stalked flowers are sulphur-yellow and form an inflorescence about 30 centimetres (12 in) high. Flowering period extends from February through May. The fruits are 6 to 20 inches long and contain elongated seeds with a length of 6 mm.
Distribution[edit]
This plant is native to Madagascar and it is widespread on the central plateau.
Habitat[edit]
These plants prefer sunny and stony areas. The succulent caudex and the underground tuberous enable the plant to tolerate long periods of drought.
Gallery[edit]
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Pachypodium rosulatum subsp. gracilius in Isalo N. P., Madagascar
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Pachypodium rosulatum subsp. gracilius in Isalo N. P., Madagascar
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Elephant's foot in flower in Isalo N. P., Madagascar
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Foliage of P. rosulatum
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Inflorescence of P. rosulatum in the Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, France
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Elephant’s foot flowering in the Isalo National Park, Madagascar
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P. rosulatum in SCBG, from Flower View
References[edit]
- Journal of Botany, British and Foreign. London 20:219. 1882
- "Pachypodium rosulatum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- Rapanarivo SHJV, Lavranos JJ, Leeuwenberg AJM Pachypodium (Apocynaceae): taxonomy, habitats and cultivation CRC Press, 1999
External links[edit]
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