Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
African Ocotillo
African Ocotillo, also called Madagascar ocotillo, is a spiny succulent shrub from southern Madagascar. Its gray-green to bone-white stems carry neat rows of short spines and small round leaves. It looks like our native ocotillo but is not related. Young plants grow as a tangle of stems. With age, one or more stems grow upright into a tree-like accent.
Best for: focal points in xeriscapes, patio or atrium containers and raised planters while young, with frost protection.
Young plants are a tangle of spiny stems. In time one or more stems grow upright into a tree-like accent, a strong focal point in a xeriscape.
Young plants suit patio containers and raised planters for several years. Fill the pot with a fast-draining soil so water never sits around the roots.
Pairs of small, round green leaves line the stems in the warm season and drop in dry periods and cold weather. That is normal, and the leaves come back when it warms up.
It does not tolerate freezes below 32°F, rots in poorly drained soil, and its rows of spines make it a poor fit next to paths.
Water deeply, then let the soil dry out before the next watering. In Phoenix it needs regular summer water, letting the soil dry between. Give no water in winter. Soggy soil rots the roots.
Give young plants partial shade from western sun. Mature plants take full sun.
It is freeze tender below 32°F. Cover it with frost cloth to the ground on freeze nights, or move a young plant in a pot under cover.
It needs little pruning if it has room for its uneven, natural shape. Wear thick gloves for the spines.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is African ocotillo related to ocotillo?
No. It looks like our native ocotillo but is from Madagascar and belongs to a different family.
How big does it get?
It can grow into a tree-like plant up to 30 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide over many years. Young plants stay bushy, so a small one works in a pot for a while.
How cold can it take?
It is freeze tender below 32°F. Cover it on freeze nights or keep a young plant in a pot you can move.
Why is it losing leaves?
It drops its small leaves in dry periods and in cold weather. That is normal, and the leaves return in the warm season.
How often should I water it?
In Phoenix, water regularly in summer and let the soil dry between. Give no water in winter.
Does it need full sun?
Young plants do best with some shade from the western sun. Once a plant matures, it can take full sun.
Does it flower?
Mature female plants can bear small yellowish to greenish-white flowers at the stem tips, mostly in late winter.
What goes wrong?
Root rot in poorly drained soil is the main problem. Plant it in fast-draining soil.
African Ocotillo for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
African Ocotillo is Alluaudia procera from Madagascar, a spiny succulent that resembles ocotillo. It is freeze tender in the Valley. Below is what to expect: form, size, sun, water, cold and planting.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
What is African ocotillo?
It is Alluaudia procera, a spiny succulent from southern Madagascar that looks like ocotillo but is not related.
How big does Alluaudia procera get?
It can reach up to 30 feet tall over many years, growing upright from a young tangle of stems.
Is African ocotillo frost hardy?
No. It is freeze tender below 32°F. Protect it on freeze nights.
How to water Alluaudia procera in Phoenix
Water regularly in summer, letting the soil dry between, and give no water in winter.
African ocotillo vs native ocotillo
Native ocotillo is an Arizona desert plant hardy to about 10°F. African ocotillo is from Madagascar and freeze tender.
African ocotillo in a pot
Young plants suit patio containers and raised planters with fast-draining soil.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.