Madagascar Palm Flower: How to Get Yours to Bloom

The Madagascar Palm, or Pachypodium lamerei, has a thick, silver-gray trunk covered in spines and topped with long, slender leaves. While this gives it the appearance of a palm tree, it is not a palm at all but a succulent from the arid regions of southern Madagascar. Its ability to store water in its trunk allows it to thrive in dry conditions.

Madagascar Palm Flower Appearance

The flowers of the Madagascar Palm are fragrant, large, and trumpet-shaped, measuring up to four inches in diameter. The blooms are white or cream-colored with five petals and a golden-yellow center.

These blossoms emerge in clusters at the top of the plant from the center of the leaf rosette. Their sweet scent may be subtle since the flowers are positioned high on the plant. Flowering occurs from late spring into early summer on mature specimens.

Encouraging Your Madagascar Palm to Flower

A primary factor for flowering is the plant’s maturity and size. Madagascar Palms will not produce blooms until they are well-established, which can take up to ten years, and reach a height of five to six feet. Branching of the main trunk is also a sign of maturity and begins after the first flowering cycle.

Sufficient light is another component for encouraging blooms. These plants require significant direct sunlight for flower production. For indoor plants, a location near a south- or west-facing window with at least six to eight hours of direct sun daily is recommended. If grown outdoors, they thrive in full sun.

Proper watering and a simulated dormancy period are also influential. During the active growing season in spring and summer, water the plant thoroughly, allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings. In the fall and winter, reduce watering significantly to induce a dormant period, which triggers blooming the following spring.

The correct fertilizer can provide the nutrients needed for flowering. A fertilizer low in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus is recommended to promote blooms. This should be applied at a diluted strength every four to five weeks during the spring and summer growing season.

After the Bloom

After the flowering period, successfully pollinated flowers may develop large seed pods. These pods resemble a pair of diverging horns or large bananas and can grow to be several inches long.

The seed pods start green and mature over time, eventually drying and turning brown. When fully mature, the pods split open to release numerous seeds. Each seed has a tuft of white fluff that aids in wind dispersal.

The seeds can be harvested once the pods split open. For the best chance at germination, sow the seeds as soon as possible, as they do not store well for long periods.