Caudex Plant Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular caudex plants with care guides, traits, and root management tips.
Featured Caudex Plant
Showing 11 of 141 species
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia Ambovombensis
Euphorbia ambovombensis
A small caudex Euphorbia from Madagascar with a plump caudex and small leaves.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia Cylindrifolia
Euphorbia cylindrifolia
A small Euphorbia with cylindrical leaves and caudex, endemic to Madagascar.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia Francoisii
Euphorbia francoisii
A Madagascar Euphorbia popular for beautifully patterned leaves and caudex, many leaf variations.
© 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.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia Hedyotoides
Euphorbia hedyotoides
A Madagascar Euphorbia with white trunk and small round leaves, bonsai-like appearance.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Euphorbia Primulifolia
Euphorbia primulifolia
A Madagascar Euphorbia with primrose-like leaves and flat caudex.
© D.Georgi / CC BY-SA 3.0 deEuphorbia Stellata
Euphorbia stellata
A Euphorbia from the Eastern Cape, South Africa, with star-shaped radiating branches from a flat caudex.
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.
© Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0Pine-cone Plant
Euphorbia bupleurifolia
Known in Japan as Tekkoumaru. A South African spurge whose brown stem, patterned with neat spiralling leaf scars like a pine cone, is topped by a tuft of long willow-like leaves. CITES Appendix I since March 2026.
© 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.