Alluaudia procera (Drake) Drake

Taxonomic Identity

Alluaudia procera (Drake) Drake is a spiny succulent shrub with thick water-storing stems.

Leaf Deciduous Trait

Its leaves are deciduous, meaning they drop off during the long dry season.

Convergent Similarity to Ocotillo

Although it looks very similar to ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, a species that grows in North America’s Sonoran Deserts), it is not closely related to this plant.

Juvenile Growth Form

Young Alluaudia procera plants grow a tangled mass of stems that persist for several years.

Mature Growth Form Development

After this period, a strong central stem develops, and the original basal stems die off. This leaves a tree-like main trunk that produces branches only in its upper sections.

Mature Stem Height

The mature main stem can reach up to 15 meters in height.

Foliage Characteristics

Stems are covered in small green oval leaves that average 2.5 centimeters in length.

Flower Arrangement

Small green-yellow flowers grow in clusters at the tips of stems.

Brachyblast Leaf Production

Like all members of the Didiereaceae plant family, Alluaudia procera produces leaves from brachyblasts, structures that are similar to the areoles found in cacti.

Leaf and Spine Arrangement

Its leaves are small, grow singly, and each is accompanied by a conical spine.

Flower Morphology

Its flowers are unisexual and radially symmetric.