Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Madagascar Palm (Rutenbergianum)
Madagascar Palm Rutenbergianum is the largest of the Madagascar palms, a spiny, bottle-shaped trunk that branches with age. Long, narrow leaves grow at the tips of the branches. Its large white flowers with yellow centers carry a sweet perfume. In a pot it stays far smaller, making a spiny, sculptural accent.
Best for: a sculptural accent in a large pot, a spiny focal point with afternoon shade, and fragrant flowers.
Its bottle-shaped trunk branches with age and holds leaves at the tips. In a large pot it makes a bold, spiny accent.
Mature plants bloom with large white flowers with yellow centers and a sweet perfume. Place it where you can catch the scent.
It grows in full sun to light shade. In the Valley, give it afternoon shade in summer and a spot you can cover on frost nights.
It is not frost hardy and needs to stay dry in winter. The trunk carries paired spines, so handle it with heavy gloves.
Water regularly while it has leaves in the warm months, letting the soil drain well. Once it drops its leaves in winter, give it very little water.
It tends to lose its leaves and rest through a Valley winter. New leaves return at the top of the trunk in spring.
It is semi-tender in the Valley. Cover it on frost nights with frost cloth to the ground, not plastic, or grow it in a pot you can move.
The trunk is covered in sharp spines. Wear heavy gloves when you plant or move it.
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.
How big does rutenbergianum get?
It is the largest Madagascar palm, reaching 10 to 30 feet in the wild over many years. In a pot it stays much smaller.
How is it different from lamerei?
It grows larger and branches with age, and its spines grow in pairs. Care is much the same for both.
Is a Madagascar palm a real palm?
No. It is a spiny succulent from Madagascar with leaves only at the top, which gives it a palm-like look.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun to light shade. In the Valley, give it some afternoon shade in summer.
How cold can it take?
It is not frost hardy and is rated to about 30°F. Keep it dry in winter and cover it or move a pot under cover on frost nights.
How often should I water it?
Water in the warm months while it has leaves. Keep it dry from late fall to mid spring while it rests.
Are the flowers fragrant?
Yes. The large white flowers with yellow centers have a sweet perfume.
Is it poisonous?
Yes. All parts carry a poisonous sap. The sharp spines usually keep pets and kids away, but keep them from chewing it.
Madagascar Palm (Rutenbergianum) for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Madagascar Palm Rutenbergianum, Pachypodium rutenbergianum, is the largest Pachypodium, a spiny, branching succulent tree. Below is what to expect on size, sun, water, winter rest, frost, flowers and handling in a Valley yard.
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.
Pachypodium rutenbergianum in Phoenix
Give it afternoon shade in summer and protect it from frost. It rests without leaves through the winter.
Largest Madagascar palm
Rutenbergianum is the largest Pachypodium, reaching 10 to 30 feet in the wild. It stays much smaller in a pot.
Rutenbergianum vs lamerei
Rutenbergianum grows larger, branches with age and has paired spines. Lamerei stays single-trunked with spines in threes.
Watering Pachypodium rutenbergianum
Water while it has leaves in the warm months and keep it dry from late fall to mid spring.
Is Pachypodium rutenbergianum fragrant?
Yes. Its white flowers with yellow centers have a sweet perfume.
Is Madagascar palm poisonous?
Yes. All parts carry a poisonous sap, and the spines are sharp. Keep pets and kids from chewing it.
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.