Pachypodium

Pachypodium is a genus of succulent spine-bearing trees and shrubs, native to Africa. It belongs to the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Pachypodium comes from Greek pachy (thick) and podium (foot), hence meaning thick-footed. There are now 25 known species, of which 20 come from Madagascar, where isolated landscapes and micro-environmental conditions have produced highly specialized species. The species count continues to grow as Pachypodium menabeum has been resurrected from invalid taxonomy and Pachypodium makayense added newly to the list. One can speculate that in regions such as Madagascar, there might still be unidentified species that are confined to a single rocky outcrop or an inselberg. Species Pachypodium ambongense Pachypodium baronii Pachypodium bicolor Pachypodium bispinosum Pachypodium brevicaule Pachypodium cactipes Pachypodium decaryi Pachypodium densiflorum Pachypodium eburneum Pachypodium geayi Pachypodium gracilius Pachypodium horombense Pachypodium inopinatum Pachypodium lamerei Pachypodium lealii Pachypodium makayense Pachypodium meridionale Pachypodium menabeum Pachypodium namaquanum Pachypodium rosulatum Pachypodium rutenbergianum Pachypodium saundersii Pachypodium sofiense Pachypodium succulentum Pachypodium windsorii