Caudex plants (for starters) and other caudex questions.

[Phil_SK]

"Thick stem". Plants that are somewhere between those having a low caudex with a vine and those having a standard plant shape, I suppose.

[Keith H]

Has nobody answers to my last question ?

There you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachycaul

[Jim_Mercer]

Has nobody answers to my last question ?

Another definition, from Glossary of botanical terms with special reference to Succulent Plants, complied by Urs Eggli

"a plant with abnormally thickened trunk or stem of various shapes"

[phyllonemus]

Thanks .

[phyllonemus]

What kind of soil mixture is best for Fockea edulis, Boophane disticha and Ficus abutilifolia ?

[phyllonemus]

What is the best watering /caring strategie for Calibanus hookerii ?

[Geoff Lovell]

http://www.bing.com/search?q=Calibanus+ ... x=135&y=13

[Geoff Lovell]

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/CALIBA ... okerii.htm

[T_B]

What is the best watering /caring strategie for Calibanus hookerii ?

Honestly you could probably grow Calibanus in almost anything, I have an old one that's shrugged off winter rain and even the freak snowstorm we had a few years back. Just standard cactus mix would be fine.

Hi
Re Phyllanthus -it took my plant about two years before it rooted & actually leafed up properly but it came via post from the US.They may be more common now, there is also a red leaf form that I would like.

Some plants are more pachycaul than caudiciforms so if you restrict the root area it keeps them more compact with a caudex than allowing them to become more bottle shaped with a trunk.
I have an experiment ongoing with some Pseudobombax ellipticum ( another good plant to grow) some are in the original shallow seed tray & some in a 5" square pot. The ones in the shallow tray have much better looking caudex's, I was a little surprised as I thought the 5" potted plants would be chunkier & faster growing but they aren't.

This is interesting, I suspect the ones in the shallow trays might have bigger caudexs(caudices?) because the roots can't travel downwards very far, so they go out instead, and over time they thicken and you get a larger base. Perhaps you could unpot one or two and see which direction the roots are growing in?

[phyllonemus]

My first caudex plants are ordered.
I've ordered :
Fockea edulis
Ficus abutifolia from Tanzania
Boophone disticha.