Caudex Plant Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular caudex plants with care guides, traits, and root management tips.
Featured Caudex Plant
Showing 6 of 141 species
© User:Qwertzy2 / CC BY-SA 3.0Elephant-foot Grape Tree
Cyphostemma elephantopus
A caudiciform member of the grape family endemic to south-western Madagascar. From a stout brown caudex like an elephant's foot it sends out vining stems with fleshy three-lobed leaves in summer. CITES Appendix II.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia gottlebei
Euphorbia gottlebei
A shrubby Madagascan spurge with slender, densely spiny branches, narrow leaves and small flowers with orange-red bracts below the branch tips. It looks like a miniature crown-of-thorns.
Euphorbia suzannae-marnierae
Euphorbia suzannae-marnierae
A small spurge from the southern tip of Madagascar with a round grey-brown caudex about 5 cm across, a few slender branches and spirally arranged, leathery, curled leaves in green to copper. The flowers are pendulous bells.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia waringiae
Euphorbia waringiae
A small spurge from south-eastern Madagascar whose half-buried round caudex, about 6 cm across, sends out slender leaning branches set with small whitish bumps. White to cream flowers keep opening for several months.
Operculicarya hyphaenoides
Operculicarya hyphaenoides
A south-western Madagascan Operculicarya with several thick, warty trunks from one base and finely divided, densely hairy pinnate leaves. Its rounded, squarish leaflets and overall hairiness set it apart from O. pachypus and O. decaryi.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Twisted Spurge
Euphorbia tortirama
A South African spurge whose thick carrot-shaped tuber sends up a clump of three-angled branches that twist into tight spirals. The angles bear sharp spines up to 2.5 cm long.
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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.