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Didierea madagascariensis
Also called Madagascar Octopus Tree
Didierea madagascariensis is a spiny, semi-succulent shrub or small tree from the dry thickets of southwestern Madagascar, reaching up to 10 m. It is grown as a curiosity in dry, sunny conditions, and the key is to let it dry out thoroughly between waterings.
Didierea madagascariensis, commonly known as the octopus tree, is a species of Didiereaceae endemic to the spiny thickets of southwestern Madagascar. It was first described scientifically by the French botanist Henri Ernest Baillon in 1880 and is the type species of the genus Didierea.
It is known in Malagasy as sohongy, sony and soribarika. Sohongy and sony come from the Tanosy dialect word songo meaning "lock of hair" or a rooster's crest or comb possibly referring to its branches that sprawl upwards.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Didierea madagascariensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
