My Pachypodiums and other Caudiciforms

Smotzer

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Hey everyone I wanted to make a thread for some of my caudiciforms and my pachypodiums that I have grown from seed. If anyone here has any caudiciforms here feel free to post on here. I want a thread for all things caudiciform! And cacti and succulents too!

I entered into school to get my degree in horticulture about 9 years ago and one of the first classes I had to take was plant propagation, and I chose to do my semester long project on pachypodiums and adeniums. Here is the culmination of anywhere up to 8-9 years (some less) of growing these wonderfully bizarre caudiciforms I love so much. I recently moved some of them out of the greenhouse where they have lived their entire lives, in preparation to take them on a 1500mi journey back to my home state of Texas. I unfortunately could not take my entire seed grown collection with me, but I certainly took a good deal.

Most of them are in dormancy which is why they have no leaves (no they are not dead lol) but the dormancy period is one of the best times to appreciate all their individually unique caudices!! But as they push out there new leaves this spring, or flower this year I will post updates!

I think I will start with my pachypodiums first, then move onto adeniums, then some Euphorbias, then some Crassula, then a few senecio species( they’re not the best specimens anymore I let students propagate off of them). Hope all you enjoy what I have in my seed grown caudiciform collection!!
 

Smotzer

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Up first is probably the most impressive growers from seed and the first specimen is on a whole nother level, it’s put on some massive size in just the last few years. Well here they are Pachypodium saundersii!!! A14184F6-3D21-44DE-8681-8CC3A8BDCED2.jpeg 0538D819-8C14-4187-B324-F81835B21DAE.jpeg 5B4589AE-000E-4C7B-8ED4-A58A2C8C56A9.jpeg AD0C891F-9D43-47F6-A08E-15169A2C310F.jpeg C3D319D8-0FD8-4F50-AADF-5739D22D517E.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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P. saundersii var. compacta ( will note the first one does not look as much like var. compacta because it got moved to a part of the greenhouse that got less direct light and began to go through some etiolation. And it developed a rot in the side of its caudex, I feared I would loose it but after a few months it healed and began putting on size again! Made me happy because this was my very first pachypodium I ever grew from seed, and so badly didn’t want to loose it.
50FE388D-E2D1-4A63-8472-56EC11DDDBB3.jpeg AAA28634-1885-4036-9042-F4C1A44B1E24.jpeg
Just started to push out!! 538FF251-DDF3-401B-BE8B-A9D347D2D273.jpeg FAA320DC-AA18-4C60-8275-50BB1123A01D.jpeg 0ABF1C2D-BC9C-43AD-91C5-60FCE7635E98.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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Here’s what’s probably my favorite species in this genus, Pachypodium rosulatum gracilius (sometimes just called P. gracilius) I cant wait for them to show they’re mature form, they’re just starting to get into and out of there juvenile stage. The first one bloomed this year, and the second just started to push out flowering stalks this week! Very exciting.

They’re about 7-8 yrs old, and have a little different growth rates between the two individuals. Excuse the yellow leaves they are sensitive to environmental changes and will often go into dormancy with temp and humidity fluctuations, I believe he’s about to go dormant 8DC680C5-4FB1-4561-8722-2E968277A6E3.jpeg 0566A903-CC45-40B4-9487-391C2E7CAB8F.jpeg 8F0BD489-0FB2-4AC0-9D95-23ECD6F67AAA.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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Here’s a closely related species to the gracilius, Pachypodium cactipes. This is a truly beautiful specimen of mine, not an impressive caudex but amazing branching. And its true to type with these pictures of this species, Which with pachypodiums is not always true, individuals grown from seed have a lot of variation in form between them. ACBAA44B-5919-4818-B2C9-DA9B38D72C42.jpeg 378DFCA3-34FC-4653-89B0-F37D82FB00E8.jpeg 9E296863-C08D-4826-8F8E-6E21478E7A56.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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Next up is my only two surviving Pachypodium densiflorum! They are around 7 years old and are so slow growing, but truly unique! 05746CF8-BD5A-4E50-AA75-7686A397FDF6.jpeg
Put on some size since the last photo 82BA310D-6781-4297-846E-3E054598BF85.jpeg D162C5EE-CD24-48DA-B3F1-954505AD46E6.jpeg 4C15D18A-07BC-41EF-804C-DA7079D26B81.jpeg 362C4F2F-7634-45F6-AF9D-4999676B8497.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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Next is what I am pretty sure is Pachyodium cf. eburneum, I am just waiting for it to flower, whenever if feels the time is right, so I can get a positive ID on it.
7FF70E70-F3FD-4E0B-85E5-349EABC58828.jpeg 6B6C0C9E-3B84-4EB5-B65F-BB452E15156B.jpeg 6F63BA7C-0289-4039-BC02-6FFAECBE5FBE.jpeg
 

jrh3

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Will these survive as indoor plants with widow lighting? I saw you had a greenhouse. My wife has been wanting to get a greenhouse for our back yard. They are very interesting by the looks of them.
 

Smotzer

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Will these survive as indoor plants with widow lighting? I saw you had a greenhouse. My wife has been wanting to get a greenhouse for our back yard. They are very interesting by the looks of them.
They can, the Pachypodium cactipes of mine has lived most its entire life on my various window sills. but when they live in doors you have to very sparingly water them. Like it seems like when they are indoors you rarely water them. They can be prone to root rot indoors with lower temperatures and too much water.
But they will definitely do better and put on size faster in a greenhouse, and have less etiolation.
 

Smotzer

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For the longest time I had this labeled as Pachypodium densiflorum var. brevicaulx but this year it flowered and the flower came out a almost white/light yellow. So I’m still undecided on what to call this, seedling/juv. Stages look very similar with the straight P. eburneum, so it is likely Pachypodium eburneum. The next post is the one I’m still calling brevicaulx( out of hope that I have at least one of theSe species 410DF4E8-8754-4D2A-AF9C-EE6A7367DEFA.jpeg CA28E25A-B624-43E5-A283-A5F9E9739F09.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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@jrh3 and if you do keep them indoors they need to be planted in like 90% small crushed up rock, like red lava rock. What I personally use for my all pachypodiums
 

Smotzer

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Definitely the thorniest of the lot the Pachypodium lamerei (the tall awesome ones) D0A74692-8693-47C3-8DDA-ACE34B154E55.jpeg
 

jrh3

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@Smotzer Does your green house hold temps pretty well? Or do you use a heat source for them in winter?
 

Smotzer

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@Smotzer Does your green house hold temps pretty well? Or do you use a heat source for them in winter?
It does hold heat pretty well, sometimes it gets a little cooler than I would like, but I’ve never ran into any major problems. I have had to run a space heater a few times. But if you build it right and winterize it you should have no problem. But I’m not sure where you live and how cold it gets in the winter where you are
 

jrh3

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It does hold heat pretty well, sometimes it gets a little cooler than I would like, but I’ve never ran into any major problems. I have had to run a space heater a few times. But if you build it right and winterize it you should have no problem. But I’m not sure where you live and how cold it gets in the winter where you are
Im in Alabama and this year we have only had 2to 5 days below freezing in my area. Very mild winter this year. Today 63 was the high and 53 the low.
 

Smotzer

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Im in Alabama and this year we have only had 2to 5 days below freezing in my area. Very mild winter this year. Today 63 was the high and 53 the low.
Oh then it’ll be really good In your area, my greenhouse was in New Jersey. Your temps will be pretty ideal for growth in the winter with those temps.
 

jrh3

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Oh then it’ll be really good In your area, my greenhouse was in New Jersey. Your temps will be pretty ideal for growth in the winter with those temps.
Not sure what we will grow in it yet but I know my wife was wanting to build one.
 

Smotzer

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Not sure what we will grow in it yet but I know my wife was wanting to build one.
In Alabama you'll likely have to put in some cooling measure, possibly a fan system for the summer though. I'm looking at building one when I move back to Texas, within a couple years and its definitely going to have a cooling system in it when I get to that point.
 

jrh3

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That should be easy, set it up like a chicken barn, they have fans to blow air through them
 
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