Six caudex plants that are easy to grow at home

A caudex is the thickened, often woody base of the stem or root collar where a plant stores water and nutrients. Because of that bottle-like shape, collectors love caudex plants. In the latest selection from Botanichka, I liked that the list includes not only rarities but also fairly accessible species.

The list has six plants. Adenium, or the “desert rose,” comes from Africa and Arabia, with a fat caudex and large flowers that look like roses or trumpets. Brachychiton from Australia is a slow-growing “bottle tree” with a smooth grey-green trunk that forgives watering mistakes. Dioscorea has a rough caudex half-buried in the soil that resembles elephant skin, and it has a clear seasonal cycle with a dormant period when only the caudex stays alive.

Next come pachypodium, a Madagascan succulent with a thick spiny stem and long narrow leaves that make it look like a palm; Jatropha podagrica, with a bottle-shaped caudex, maple-like leaves and coral-coloured flower clusters; and dorstenia, whose caudex is often flat like a disc.

The care rules are broadly the same. Water generously but rarely, letting the soil dry out almost completely; keep plants in bright sun, ideally a south-facing window; use a loose, lean mix with drainage additives and shallow pots with large drainage holes. The main enemies are root rot, spider mites and mealybugs, and leaf drop during dormancy is normal.

For me, the main takeaway of the article is that caudex plants forgive forgetfulness with watering much more readily than excessive care.

Source: Botanichka