I usually don't venture too much away from our Orchid forum, but as part of this Orchid forum we also like to talk about our companion plants to our Orchids/what else do we grow. The subject of Caudiciforms came up and I started to put my main plants together for a thread by taking some pictures today and I also pulled some older pics to illustrate plants in bloom or leafed out. This is only the end of May and many of my Caudiciforms are still looking bare or just starting to green out.
Perhaps you might enjoy my collection.

Let me start with my Pachypodiums.
left - Pachypodium densiflorum right-horombense - as they were today

older pictures:
Pachypodium densiflorum-

Pachypodium horombense-


dormant Pachy namaquanum - never bloomed


dormant namaquanum x baronii, so far has never bloomed


Pachypodium eburneum - starting to leaf out - never bloomed, but is supposed to bloom white ( I think)


Pachypodium brevicaule - I posted it in bloom here: http://garden.org/thread/view_...


and since Pachypodium saundersii ( blooms white) is also in that link:


Pachypodium succulentum with a hitchhiker. It usually blooms in late Winter


Pachypodium baronii posted into the lasted Garden thread and is still blooming right now


Pachypodium baronii v. windsorii is a much smaller plant, I took these pictures a couple of years ago


Adenium obesum now

Adenium obesum in Summer


Adenium multiflorum Mombassa now and it looks very cute when in bloom


Zygosicyos tripartitus looks fat now after the rain, in Winter it is fairly flat. It will have long green growth with tiny leaves.


Ciborhiza albersiana will have long winding green growth


Dioscorea macrostachya still dormant today

and in full gear here, green and in bloom http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Dioscorea sylvatica in need of repotting


Bowiea volubilis

and older picture showing the greenery and in bloom


Gerrardanthus macrorhizus


Jatropha podagrica just starting to grow leaves, this will be a green bush by the end of summer. Showing caudex and flowers.


Matelea macrophylla looks miserable when dormant, but by the end of Summer it is nicely green. The very pretty blooms on this Asclepiad smell quite evil.


Sinningia leucotricha


Fockea species starting to show green and will have green wines all over the place by the end of the Summer

Thanks for sharing all these photos of most unusual plants, the caudiciforms. "Fat" doesn't begin to describe these plants...

Wow Ursula,
I love fatties.
I really like the look of that P. horombense. The shape, the pot... now the flower is another thing. Me and yellow...
Very nice ones !!!

a wonderful selection.

A nursery near here - Out of Africa - specializes in some of these plants and they have a handy 'poster' which shows all the different blooms on the various Pachypodiums. You might find that useful. I have just added a review of their organization to the recommendations page. They don't sell from their premises but through my work I was able to visit their greenhouses.

Thanks!
Yes, the horombense is my favorite yellow too.

Dutchlady, lucky you - having Out of Africa near by. The Pachypodium eburneum came from that place. I spent many hours drooling over their pages.

Thanks for sharing your collection Ursula! I like seeing the Pachypodium saundersii. I just got a young one and it is reassuring to see that the leaves really grows like that..for awhile I was worried why it seems too curled in.

Awesome collection!

Thanks, Tarev.

I am happy you enjoy the thread.

I think these plants are fascinating also. You have an amazing collection of them, loved your pics! Curious if you've considered cultivating Mirabilis jalapa this way? Seen pics of that done.

Do Dahlia tubers keep growing?

I so wanted to get a sinningia from a succulent nursery in Berkeley, but price was a little steep..so will just admire the photos from Ursula's collection for now.

Thanks!

I have to look up the Mirabilis jalapa, I am not familiar with that one.

Regarding the Dahlias - not in my hands for sure, I do poorly with Dahlias here in this climate in Summer.

Mirabilis jalapa is 4'o'clocks, easy to start from seeds but takes a while for a tuber to form. They can get HUGE! I can't figure out what the Dahlias want either. Maybe a couple that survived unexpectedly this past winter will know what to do since they're already settled.

Wow! Ursula very beautiful plants!! Thanks for the photos!
Purple, Are you sure that dahlias are winter hardy for your zone?? Around here most people lift them and replant. Or heavy hay mulch in winter

I thank you, gg5!

I grew up in Erfurt/Germany which is known for their beautiful Dahlias. I would think the climate is close to that of Maine. Now the Dahlias really like the cooler Summer temperatures and grow and flower perfectly there. I have tried many times to grow them here in NJ, but the hot Summers here make them grow like crazy and then they just topple over/bend their stems and flop all over the place. I had some tubers surviving a couple of Winters - close to the South facing house wall, but never in the middle of the garden here in zone 6b.

I'm amazed that they survived even one winter! I do like dahlias, but don't have room for them, so I just notice and enjoy them in other people's yards!

Didn't notice the question about Dahlias when originally asked, sorry. I almost wish they wouldn't come back. They were back again this year, for a 3rd try, but fell over as soon as they made flowers.

This 4'o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa) is coming back to health after getting lost in too much shade at my Mom's house for a few years.


This is one of the discussions that inspired me to get a ponytail palm this summer. What's going on with peoples' fat plants?

I'm so glad to have found this thread. with all the above. Fun work and great plants Ursula!

Love your use of small containers with them...

Thanks so much!

So what's going on with mine? I brought them all inside for the indoor season, I really should take out the camera before they drop all the leaves for the season....The Dioscorea is really cute right now, it has lots of dangling teeeensy blooms. Tomorrow.....

I hope so, Ursula! We need that plant porn.

Ok I promised some pictures.
Let me start with the Dioscorea macrostachya in full bloom no less. But if you blink, you will miss the tiny blooms. (My fingers as size comparison.) I find those dangling garlands cute.


Now I used to have a tall Adenium obesum/somalense hybrid ( I always thought that's what it was, judging mainly by the specific shape of the trunk as in somalense), I had it for many years - started from a small plant, and years ago I started to top it off every so often at ca 6 -7 feet to make it somewhat manageable. Unfortunately it started to rot on me. I couldn't save the large plant, so this Spring I chopped off some cuttings and dumped the bottom part. The cuttings wound up in a bucket with water, sitting on the deck all Summer. By the end of August some pieces were starting to root and I potted up the pieces together.
Here they are, starting to actually green out and grow a bit. ( the other plant in that pot is Senecio fulgens)


And here is the assortment
Pachypodium baronii and Commiphora humbertii ( with the tiny leaves) I love to crush a couple of the Commophora leaves, the scent is really great.

Adenium obesum, a small and a larger Jatropha podagrica, Uncarinas, Dorstenia and the Euphorbia tortirama. I am growing this Euphorbia for many years and as it loses the lower leaves it does develop a bit of a caudex. It has cute yellow fragrant blooms in Summer.


Dioscorea sylvatica, Gerrardanthus macrorhyzus, foot of Pachypodium densiflorum, Matelea cyclophylla, the next four pics are that of a Fockea species with those little yellow blooms

Zygosycyos tripartitum, base of Pachypodium succulentum, stem of Pachy densiflorum, Bowiea solubilis ( green messy thing, will bloom in late Winter)

Pachypodium saundersii, Adenium multiflorum mombassa, Pachypodium saundersii, Pachypodium baronii var windsorii, Cibirhiza albersiana in leaf, Pachypodium eburneum, Pachypodium brevicaule, Pachypodium namaquanum.


Hope you enjoy!

excellent caudiciforms!!