Pachypodium Rosulatum ssp. Gracilus
| Plant | Light | Water summer | Water winter | Hibernation | Soil | Propagation |
| Pachypodium Gracilius | max | Medium | - | winter | mixed | Madagascar |
Pachypodium Rosulatum ssp. Gracilius (or var.) is mostly just called P.Gracilius.
The plant grows in central Madagascar south of the capital on the Isalo mountains 300-1000 meters above sea level. The plant is similar to Pachypodium Rosulatum but does not grow as tall and has shorter branches. Therefore, it often achieves an almost balloon-like shape and can be one of the most distinctive and sculptural caudiciforms.
Smaller specimens of P.Gracilius have not yet acquired the pachycaule form and often resemble Pachypodium Lamereii and Mikea with regular leaves and thorns on the entire stem, and branching at the root.
The plant needs as much Light as possible and is watered frequently during the growing season. In winter, November to March, it is hardly watered at all. Start and water it sparingly in late February again as the sun and heat increase. It is deciduous and has no leaves at all during the dormant period. It is said that the plant needs less and less water the older it gets.
The plant grows in nature on sandstone cliffs at a pH value of 4.5.
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General information about Pachypodium There are a number of rules to follow when growing Pachypodium regardless of species. Use small Pots. If you use large Pots , the plant will often have too large a root system, and the plant will use more energy to grow the branches, and you will not get the compact shape that they get in the habitat, which is most attractive. Small Pots means a pot that is not much wider than the caudex and not much higher than the caudex. Use a pure mineral growing medium such as pumice, possibly mixed with some perlite. Both minerals retain a little water, but allow larger amounts of water to pass through a pot and out again. In nature, most Pachypodiums grow directly on granite, quartz, limestone and sandstone. Fertilize with every watering. Use a low concentration of fertilizer and remember that the fertilizer in all the water that comes out of the pot during watering is not absorbed by the plant. Always keep the plant slightly moist - also in winter. It may sound a bit counterintuitive to keep plants dry in winter to avoid rot, but remember that you can also water a very small amount at the edge of the pot, away from the plant. Pachypodium needs a lot of water in summer, preferably every other day. Brevicaule in particular reacts very strongly to drying out. Pachypodium is in dormancy from December to February (approximately), flowers from April to June, and grows from June to November. Most Pachypodium need minimum 4hours of direct Light during the flowering and growing period from February to November. Only Pachypodium should be kept above 10°Celsius in winter - Bispinosum and Succulentum can however tolerate down to 0 degrees. Despite this recommendation, some of the Madagascar Pachypodium grow in places where it gets down to 5°C in winter, and at altitudes where it is likely to get even colder. Most Pachypodium (but not all) grows in nature in soil with a low acidity around ph 4-5. Lime. Lime in the water raises the pH value, so it is recommended to demineralize the water (boil it) before watering, or use rainwater. Some Pachypodium - especially Brevicaule should be sensitive to bacteria, this may be explained by the low pH value of their habitat soil, as bacteria do not do well in acidic environments. |
It should be planted in a mixture of stone/gravel and a little humus. In nature it grows directly on sandstone in the cracks where a little soil can get stuck.
The plant is relatively easy to propagate from seed, but it grows slowly so you need patience to achieve the balloon shape.
At Caudiciform.com we grow Pachypodium Gracilius from seed, but they are only sold when they have reached a certain size. Write to us if you are interested in smaller specimens.
Seeds of Pachypodium Rosulatum ssp. Gracilius
