Caudex Plant Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular caudex plants with care guides, traits, and root management tips.
Featured Caudex Plant
Showing 9 of 141 species
© Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 4.0Bottle Tree
Pachypodium lealii
A Pachypodium from Namibia and Angola that grows into a 3-6 m tree with a bottle-shaped, swollen-based trunk. In the dry season it bears fragrant white flowers, flushed purple outside, on leafless branch tips.
© Dorian HUVELIN / CC BY-SA 4.0Pachypodium Ambongense
Pachypodium ambongense
A rare Pachypodium from NW Madagascar with white flowers and thick trunk, difficult to grow.
© User:Qwertzy2 / CC BY-SA 3.0Pachypodium Baronii
Pachypodium baronii
A rare Pachypodium with red flowers, the only red-flowered species in the genus.
© bat (Maria Vorontsova) / CC0Pachypodium Brevicaule
Pachypodium brevicaule
Known as Ebisu-warai in Japan, with a flat caudex shape and yellow flowers.
© scott.zona / CC BY 2.0Pachypodium decaryi
Pachypodium decaryi
A northern Madagascan Pachypodium with an almost spherical grey caudex and slender, nearly spineless branches. It bears pure white flowers up to 12 cm across, the largest in the genus. CITES Appendix I.
© Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova / CC BY-SA 4.0Pachypodium Eburneum
Pachypodium eburneum
A rare small Pachypodium with white flowers (unusual among the many yellow-flowered species), elegant ivory-colored trunk and large white blooms.
Pachypodium Makayense
Pachypodium makayense
From Makay Mountains, Madagascar, forming flatter, wider caudex than Gracilius.
© possibly Robert Jacob Gordon / Public domainPachypodium Namaquanum
Pachypodium namaquanum
Known for bending toward the sun, a unique rare species listed in CITES Appendix II.
© KP Laer / CC BY-SA 4.0Pachypodium windsorii
Pachypodium windsorii
A Pachypodium from the far north of Madagascar with a swollen, flask-shaped caudex, a few slender twisting branches and bright red flowers with a pale green eye. It is smaller than P. baronii in all parts, with very short flower stalks.
Related Content
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.