''Pachypodium rosulatum'', common name elephant's foot plant, belongs to the family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of ...

Description

''Pachypodium rosulatum'' is a shrubby

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

caudiciform plant with a bottle-shaped trunk, brownish silver and almost spineless, about wide and about tall. From the caudex depart many thorny cylindrical arms, forming a shrub about 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 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

This plant is native to

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and it is widespread on the central plateau.

Habitat

These plants prefer sunny and stony areas. The succulent caudex and the underground tuberous enable the plant to tolerate long periods of drought.

Gallery

Pachypodium Rosulatum Gracilius 01.jpg, ''Pachypodium rosulatum'' subsp. ''gracilius'' in Isalo N. P., Madagascar Pachypodium Rosulatum Gracilius 02.jpg, ''Pachypodium rosulatum'' subsp. ''gracilius'' in Isalo N. P., Madagascar Elephants foot plant 1.JPG, Elephant's foot in flower in Isalo N. P., Madagascar Pachypodium rosulatum02.jpg, Foliage of ''P. rosulatum'' Pachypodium rosulatum01.jpg, Inflorescence of ''P. rosulatum'' in the

Conservatoire botanique national de Brest The Conservatoire botanique national de Brest (32 hectares) is a notable botanical garden located at 52 Allée du Bot, Brest, Finistère, in the region of Brittany, France. It is open daily without charge. The conservatory site was formerly a qua ...

, France Elephants foot plant 2.JPG, Elephant’s foot flowering in the

Isalo National Park Isalo National Park is a National Park in the Ihorombe Region of Madagascar, in the southwestern corner of the Province of Fianarantsoa. The closest town is Ranohira, and the closest cities are Toliara and Ihosy. It is a sandstone landscape th ...

, Madagascar Pachypodium rosulatum (2) 1200.jpg, ''P. rosulatum'' in SCBG, from ''Flower View''

References

* Journal of Botany, British and Foreign. London 20:219. 1882 * * Rapanarivo SHJV, Lavranos JJ, Leeuwenberg AJ
Pachypodium (Apocynaceae): taxonomy, habitats and cultivation
CRC Press, 1999

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q141370 rosulatum Endemic flora of Madagascar Caudiciform plants Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker