Caudex Plant Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular caudex plants with care guides, traits, and root management tips.
Featured Caudex Plant
Showing 7 of 141 species
© Michael Wolf (Webseite) / CC BY-SA 3.0Adenia spinosa
Adenia spinosa
A summer-growing Adenia from northern South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe whose twisted, spiny branches rise from a large, irregular, swollen stem. Only seed-grown plants form a caudex; plants from cuttings never do.
© Michael Wolf / CC BY-SA 3.0Ceraria pygmaea
Portulacaria pygmaea
A dwarf from the South Africa–Namibia border that forms a low mound of short branches over a knotty, half-buried caudex. The thick blue-green, jelly-bean-like leaves drop off almost at a touch.
Othonna cacalioides
Othonna cacalioides
One of the smallest succulents in the daisy family, with a flattened, potato-like caudex below ground and up to twenty or more stubby heads just at soil level. A winter grower with small glossy leaves and little yellow daisies.
Othonna euphorbioides
Othonna euphorbioides
The most cactus- or spurge-like member of the daisy family: a small winter-growing shrublet whose spent flower stalks harden into spines around a potato-like caudex. Pale green, spoon-shaped leaves dusted with white powder cluster at the branch tips.
© Averater / CC BY-SA 3.0Othonna retrorsa
Othonna retrorsa
A winter-growing Othonna with a woolly, many-headed caudex bearing rosettes of stiff, chalky grey-green leaves with a raised net of veins. Small white marginal teeth, often pointing backwards, give it its name.
© Ragnhild&Neil Crawford from Sweden / CC BY-SA 2.0Pelargonium mirabile
Pelargonium mirabile
A winter-growing Pelargonium from Namibia that forms a low mound of hundreds of pencil-thin, glossy dark brown branches, branching like coral. After rain it puts out grey-green leaves and white to pale pink flowers.
© Dwergenpaartje / CC BY-SA 4.0Tylecodon reticulatus
Tylecodon reticulatus
A winter-growing Tylecodon whose spent flower stalks persist and harden into a finely branched, silvery thorny net that envelops the plant. It has a squat trunk and fleshy leaves at the branch tips.
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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.