As Jonas Lüthy commented in his article describing this new pachypodium (C&SJ, Vol. 77:178 - 186, 2005), it is surprising that this tall, arborescent species could have eluded description for so long. The plants were first encountered by botanists at the beginning of the 20th century, but they were confused with P. geayi. The two species grow together and have similar cigar-shaped trunks with a crown of slender branches and similar leaves (though these are more densely white-tomentose beneath in mature P. mikea). The flowers, however, are distinctive. Those of P. geayi are distinct in having creamy yellow reflexed petals and exserted stamens while those of P. mikea are more like those of P. lamerei, white with a yellow throat and included stamens. HBG 93963, plants from Röösli & Hoffmann 1204, seeds collected Nov. 28, 2004 in the Mikea Forest, S of Horombe, Madagascar. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 78 (2), March - April, 2006