The Madagascar Palm (Pachypodium lamerei) is a striking plant native to Madagascar. Despite its common name, it is not a true palm but a stem-succulent belonging to the Dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Its distinctive appearance features a thick, spiny, gray trunk topped with a crown of long, narrow, dark green leaves, resembling a palm tree. Understanding its growth rate requires focusing on its succulent nature and specific environmental needs.
Baseline Growth Rate Expectations
The growth rate of the Madagascar Palm is moderate once the plant is established and conditions are favorable. Young plants start slower, focusing energy on developing the thick, water-storing trunk (caudex). Once past the seedling stage, the plant exhibits a steady upward growth rate.
Under ideal conditions in cultivation, an established Pachypodium lamerei can grow vertically between 6 to 12 inches per year. This growth focuses on the main trunk, which becomes taller and thicker to store water. The increase in trunk diameter is a significant part of the plant’s overall growth, reflecting its “thick-footed” nature.
Active growth is also gauged by leaf production, as new foliage emerges from the crown. While the plant can exceed 20 feet in its native habitat, it typically reaches 10 to 15 feet in a garden setting. Achieving this maximum height takes over a decade, showing that the overall process to maturity is lengthy.
Environmental Factors Accelerating Growth
Light Requirements
Maximizing the annual growth rate requires an environment mimicking the plant’s hot, arid native habitat. Pachypodium lamerei needs full, intense sunlight to thrive and grow rapidly. A minimum of four to six hours of direct sun exposure daily is necessary to fuel strong vertical growth and prevent the stem from becoming stretched and weak.
Temperature
Temperature drives the metabolism required for fast growth, with the plant preferring a warm environment between 65°F and 80°F during its active season. The plant is intolerant of cold; temperatures below 50°F can stop growth completely and often trigger leaf drop. Consistent warmth, coupled with high light, encourages the plant to remain in its active growth phase longer.
Watering
Watering must be precise to support accelerated growth while preventing rot. During the spring and summer active growing season, deep watering should be provided every 10 to 14 days, but only after the soil has completely dried out. This “drench and drought” method encourages healthy root expansion and efficient nutrient uptake, which are stored in the trunk for growth.
Managing Growth in Different Settings
The final height and growth speed are determined by whether the Madagascar Palm is planted in the ground or restricted to a container. When planted directly into a well-draining landscape, the plant has unrestricted access to soil resources. This allows it to achieve its maximum potential height of 10 to 15 feet or more, as the root system can spread widely and fully support growth.
In contrast, a plant grown indoors in a container will have its growth significantly moderated, rarely exceeding five to six feet in height. The pot size directly limits the plant’s growth potential through root restriction. To encourage the fastest possible growth indoors, repotting every two to three years into a slightly larger container is recommended for root expansion.
Seasonal changes slow the plant’s annual growth total, even under optimal conditions. The Madagascar Palm is naturally semi-deciduous and enters a period of dormancy in the winter when light levels are lower or temperatures drop. During this time, the plant sheds most of its leaves and growth essentially stops.