''Pachypodium rutenbergianum'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''

Pachypodium ''Pachypodium'' is a genus of succulent spine-bearing trees and shrubs, native to Madagascar and Africa. It belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Genus characteristics All ''Pachypodium'' are succulent plants that exhibit, to varying degrees, t ...

'' 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 ...

. The plant can reach 3 to 8 m high, and its trunk up to 60 cm in diameter at base. The plant has short branches and 1-cm long spines. Leaves are green and 10 to 15 cm long, 4 cm wide. Its

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white.

Varieties

*''Pachypodium rutenbergianum'' var. ''meridionale'' *''Pachypodium rutenbergianum'' var. ''rutenbergianum'' *''Pachypodium rutenbergianum'' var. ''sofiense'' Each of these are considered by many botanists as separate species.

References

External sources

{{Taxonbar, from=Q291645 rutenbergianum Endemic flora of Madagascar