This is one the most restricted of the Madagascan pachypodiums, known from only a small area along the NW coast of the island. It is one of the rarest in cultivation as well, despite its easy-growing nature. It forms a gracefully tapered caudex to a meter tall, with a distinctive snakeskin-like bark. The few branches are well-armed with paired spines with thickened bases. We offer HBG 89154, plants from controlled pollination of specimens acquired by Röösli from M. Grubenmann in Jan, 1991. The stock plants were collected by native Malagasies near Namoroka, Vilanandro, Madagascar. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 76 (2), March - April, 2004