Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum

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Since 4 Aug 2013

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum hort.

Family: APOCYNACEAE

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum Photo by: Andrea B.
(Crested Madagascar Palm) It is an intricately form with fan-shaped crested branches forming a snaky ridge or crowded cluster. It is attractively marked with long shining dark green leaves.

Origin and Habitat: Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

Synonyms:

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum hort.

See all synonyms of Pachypodium lamerei

Description: Pachypodium lamereiSN|10823]]SN|10823]] forma cristata is a nice large succulent with a thick crested trunk. The spiny gray stem will soon form an heavily convoluted fan-shaped or snaky ridged cluster. The comb-shaped foliage is arranged only at the top of the trunk .

Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Pachypodium lamerei group

Pachypodium lamerei Drake: Semidecidous or deciduous semitropical succulent tree, up to 2,5(-5) m tall. Trunk solitary or scarcely branched. Leaves finely tomentose below. Corolla lobes truncate 2,5-4 cm long. Distibution: Madagascar.
Pachypodium lamerei f. compacta hort.: This is a rare compact growing mutation that occurs only over thousand seedlings. Cultivated form.
Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum hort.: Form convoluted fan-shaped or snaky ridged cluster. The comb-shaped foliage is arranged only at the top of the trunk .
Pachypodium lamerei var. fiherense n.n.: remains small and flowers at a young age. Distribution: Atsimo, eastern Toliara.
Pachypodium lamerei f. inermis hort.: This is a pretty attractive unusual form with a thick thorn-less grey trunk.
Pachypodium lamerei f. monstruosum hort.
Pachypodium lamerei var. ramosum (Costantin & Bois) Pichon: has a dwarf growth habit, rounded corolla lobes 4-5 cm long. Leaves glabrous (not tomentose below). Distribution: South Madagascar.
Pachypodium menabeum Leandri: has smaller bottle shaped succulent trunk with candelabra-like branches 2-5 m high. Style hairless. Leaves are glabrous on both sides. Distribution: tsingy of Bemaraha. Central Madagascar.

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Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum (Growing phase - summer) Photo by: Andrea B.

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum (Resting phase - winter) Photo by: Andrea B.

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum (Growing phase - summer) Photo by: Cactus Art

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum (Resting phase - winter) Photo by: Cactus Art

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum Photo by: Cactus Art

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum Photo by: Valentino Vallicelli

Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum Photo by: Frikkie Hall

Cultivation and Propagation: Is fairly easy to grow both indoors, as well as outdoors in warm climates and can grow at about 10cm a year. In the winters it is deciduous, except in very tropical areas. Needs a draining cactus potting mix and regular water when the plant has leaves, contrary to popular belief, it likes a lot of water in the warm summers, as long as it's planted in a very well draining soil. Indoors it is best to err on the dry side, or it is prone to rot. It like full sun to light shade with warm temperatures.
Crested growth: Unlike 'monstrose' varieties of plants, where the variation from normal growth is due to genetic mutation, crested growth can occur on normal plants. Sometimes it's due to variances in light intensity, or damage, but generally the causes are unknown. A crested plant may have some areas growing normally, and a cresting plant that looks like a brain, may revert to normal growth for no apparent reason. Any normal shoots should be removed to promote the growth of the crest.
Repot the plant every 3 years; this is quite tricky given all the spines. The best way is to wrap several layers of newspaper around the trunk where it is to be handled.
Propagation: By vegetative propagation grafting, the stem cuttings usually don't root.

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Cite this page: "Pachypodium lamerei f. cristatum" Text available under a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons Attribution License. www.llifle.com 14 Nov. 2005. 28 Jul 2025. </Encyclopedia/SUCCULENTS/Family/Apocynaceae/10827/Pachypodium_lamerei_f._cristatum>