About Alluaudia procera (Drake) Drake
Alluaudia procera (Drake) Drake is a spiny succulent shrub with thick water-storing stems. Its leaves are deciduous, meaning they drop off during the long dry season. 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. Young Alluaudia procera plants grow a tangled mass of stems that persist for several years. 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. The mature main stem can reach up to 15 meters in height. Stems are covered in small green oval leaves that average 2.5 centimeters in length. Small green-yellow flowers grow in clusters at the tips of stems. Like all members of the Didiereaceae plant family, Alluaudia procera produces leaves from brachyblasts, structures that are similar to the areoles found in cacti. Its leaves are small, grow singly, and each is accompanied by a conical spine. Its flowers are unisexual and radially symmetric.
