Pachypodium lamerei — Madagascar Palm Caudiciform Seeds -10 Seed Pack

Pachypodium lamerei is the gateway species to one of the most architecturally dramatic caudiciform genera on the planet. A silver-spined, columnar trunk topped by a palm-like crown of glossy leaves — it looks like something that escaped from a prehistoric landscape. Native to the arid plateaus of Madagascar, it builds a heavily armed, water-storing trunk that grows faster than most people expect from a succulent, and produces large, fragrant white flowers on mature specimens.

FULL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Pachypodium lamerei (Madagascar Palm) is not a true palm — it is a caudiciform succulent in the Apocynaceae family, making it a close botanical relative of Adenium. Like Adenium, it stores water in a swollen trunk, tolerates drought aggressively, requires fast-draining substrate, and is completely cold-intolerant. The similarities end at form: where Adenium spreads wide and low, Pachypodium lamerei grows upright into a striking, columnar silhouette studded with silver thorns.

The Trunk
The defining feature is the columnar, heavily spined trunk. Silver-gray to pale green, it develops in a single upright column in youth before branching into a candelabra form on mature specimens. The spines emerge in clusters of three directly from the bark — arranged in a tight, symmetrical pattern that gives the trunk a heavily armored, prehistoric appearance.

The Crown
Leaves emerge in a dense rosette from the growing tip, long, narrow, and glossy green — mimicking the look of a true palm crown. As the plant grows and branches, each growing tip produces its own rosette, multiplying the palm-like silhouette effect.

The Flowers
Mature specimens produce large, pure white to pale yellow star-shaped blooms with a gentle fragrance. Flowers emerge from the growing tip before or alongside new leaf growth — clean, high-contrast, and striking against the spined column.

Growth Rate
Pachypodium lamerei is notably fast-growing relative to most caudiciform genera — under warm, high-light conditions with aggressive watering, seedlings can put on several inches of trunk height in a single growing season. This makes it a rewarding species for growers who want visible results without the years-long patience required by slow-growing dwarf arabicums.

Zone 6 Notes
I have been growing Pachypodium in Zone 6 since the mid-1990s — over 30 years of cold-climate experience with this genus. Lamerei is strictly a container plant in Zone 6: there is no outdoor cold tolerance, and it must be brought in well before first frost, ideally when nighttime temperatures approach 50°F in early to mid-October. The upside is that it thrives on a sunny south-facing windowsill or under grow lights through the winter and genuinely accelerates when moved back outside in late spring. I run lamerei in a fast-draining, inorganic-heavy mix — the same substrate philosophy as my Adenium lines — and water aggressively during active summer growth, pulling back sharply in autumn as temperatures drop. In Zone 6, it does not go into the same hard dormancy as Adenium; keep it warm, reduce watering, and it will continue slow growth through winter under lights.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• Fresh Pachypodium lamerei seeds - Pack of 10 seeds
• Germination instructions included with every order

GROWING BASICS

• Germination temp: 80–90°F
• Germination time: 7–21 days under ideal conditions
• Hardiness: Bring indoors well before nighttime temps reach 50°F — no cold tolerance
• Light: Maximum direct sun or high-output full-spectrum LED — columnar form stretches in low light
• Media: Fast-draining, inorganic-heavy mix (Desert Oasis Potting Media or comparable)
• Watering: Aggressive in summer heat; reduce sharply in autumn and winter
• Dormancy: Does not require true hard dormancy — keep warm, reduce water, maintain light through winter
• Growth rate: Fast for a caudiciform — visible trunk extension within a single growing season
• Skill level: Beginner-friendly — forgiving vigor, faster feedback than most caudiciform genera