Hello,

I'm trying to find the name of a caudiciform I saw in a book. All I remember was that it was extremely rare, from africa, and looked like a tortoise shell.

Thanks.

Dioscorea (formerly Testudinaria) elephantipes perhaps.

Yes! that's it. Thanks.

Blimey Aidan, talk about plucking something out of the air....... even if its former name is a give away ;-)

Rare? I've got several....

Never mind. I read that from a while ago but just ordered one from shoalcreeksucculents. I think it may have been that they can be very old?

Are they similar to pachypodium care?

Care is not dissimilar to cacti and succulents, but the plant goes through cycles of dormancy and activity that don't always seem to coincide with the seasons... for me at least. The plant should be watered freely when in growth and occasionally when dormant. I think I killed a huge plant some years ago by leaving it dry during dormancy. I now have a much smaller example.



It's a very distinctive plant and really does look like a half-buried tortoise.

Some Dioscorea trivia:

It is a good source of steroid sapogenins. This nearly caused its extinction as these were used as starting materials in the manufacture of early contraceptive pills. Fortunatley it is now quite common in cultivation.

I have a couple of plants grown from seed now about 15 years old. They are winter growers for me, currently dormant. I do not water during dormancy.

just had a look and one is sprouting now!