Caudex Plant Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular caudex plants with care guides, traits, and root management tips.
Featured Caudex Plant
Showing 79 of 79 species(1–24)
© JMK / CC BY-SA 3.0Adenia Glauca
Adenia glauca
A Passiflora-family caudex with a large green caudex and tri-lobed leaves with climbing stems.
© Daderot / CC0Adenia Globosa
Adenia globosa
An Adenia with a massive spherical caudex and thorny branches, very wild appearance.
© Ewald Schmidt (= Harbuse ) / Public domainAdenia Pechuelii
Adenia pechuelii
A rare Namibian Adenia with massive gray-green caudex exposed above ground.
Adenium (Desert Rose)
Adenium obesum
The 'Desert Rose' from Africa and Arabia. Plump caudex with showy pink/red flowers. Ideal caudex starter — develops thick caudex relatively quickly from seed. Extensive Thai breeding programs.
© Siamadenium / Public domainAdenium Arabicum
Adenium arabicum
An Adenium with wide spreading caudex, more caudex-focused than obesum, popular with collectors.
© Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 3.0Adenium Multiflorum
Adenium multiflorum
From South Africa, blooming many red-white flowers in winter, called Impala Lily.
Adenium Socotranum
Adenium obesum subsp. socotranum
From Socotra Island, growing into massive bottle trees several meters wide in habitat.
Adenium Thai Socotranum
Thai-bred Socotranum-type Adenium with thick round caudex and diverse flower colors.
© juancruzado / CC BY-SA 4.0Beaucarnea Recurvata
Beaucarnea recurvata
Known as Ponytail Palm, with a swollen trunk base and cascading leaves.
© Paul venter / CC BY-SA 3.0Boophone Disticha
Boophone disticha
An African bulbous caudex with beautiful fan-shaped wavy leaves and impressive flower heads.
© Mauro Raffaelli / CC BY-SA 3.0Boswellia Neglecta
Boswellia neglecta
A frankincense relative caudex plant with white bark and unique branching, increasingly popular.
© Michael Wolf / CC BY-SA 3.0Bursera Fagaroides
Bursera fagaroides
A Mexican aromatic caudex with peeling bark and fragrant resin.
© Miwasatoshi / CC BY-SA 4.0Bursera Microphylla
Bursera microphylla
Called Elephant Tree, a Mexican caudex with thick white trunk and tiny leaves.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Calibanus Hookeri
Calibanus hookeri
A Mexican spherical caudex with cork-like large tuber producing fine grass-like leaves.
Cephalopentandra Ecirrhosa
Cephalopentandra ecirrhosa
An East African cucurbit caudex with impressive large gray-white tuber, relatively fast growing.
Cissus Tuberosa
Cissus tuberosa
A grape-family caudex with large potato-like tuber producing vines, hardy and fast-growing.
Commiphora
A myrrh-related caudex plant with peeling bark and distinctive trunk from Africa.
Corallocarpus Bainesii
Corallocarpus bainesii
A cucurbit caudex with attractive gnarly gray tuber producing small red fruits.
© H. Zell / CC BY-SA 3.0Cyphostemma Bainesii
Cyphostemma bainesii
A large caudex plant from South Africa in the grape family, with thick trunk and large leaves, also known as Wild Grape.
© JMK / CC BY-SA 3.0Cyphostemma Juttae
Cyphostemma juttae
A grape-family caudex with peeling yellow bark and large leaves from Namibia.
Cyphostemma Laza
Cyphostemma laza
A Madagascar grape-family caudex with silver trunk and large leaves, very impressive.
© wielies / CC BY 4.0Dioscorea Elephantipes
Dioscorea elephantipes
Known as Tortoise Plant, with turtle shell-like caudex producing winter vines.
© Rillke / CC BY-SA 3.0Dioscorea Mexicana
Dioscorea mexicana
Called Mexican Tortoise Plant with rounder caudex, summer-growing unlike the African species.
© 22Kartika / CC BY-SA 3.0Dorstenia Foetida
Dorstenia foetida
A small caudex that self-pollinates and shoots seeds, easy to grow from seed for beginners.
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Caudex Plant FAQ
- How much do caudex plants cost?
- Pachypodium gracilius seedlings cost 2,000-10,000 yen, wild-collected specimens 30,000-200,000+ yen, and Operculicarya pachypus can reach hundreds of thousands of yen.
- Can beginners grow caudex plants?
- Adenium (Desert Rose) and Pachypodium seedlings are relatively easy and beginner-friendly. Just be careful with watering during winter dormancy, and you can enjoy them for years.
- How long do caudex plants live?
- Some specimens live for hundreds of years in the wild. In cultivation, they can thrive for decades with proper care. Watching the caudex thicken year by year is the greatest appeal.
- What should I check when buying caudex plants?
- Whether it's rooted is the most important point. Wild-collected imports are often unrooted and require root establishment. Beginners should start with rooted domestically grown seedlings.
- How do caudex plants overwinter?
- Many caudex plants go dormant in winter. Reduce watering from October, and withhold water completely from December to February. Keep indoors in a sunny spot at minimum 10°C.