Medicinal Plants of Namibia | Page 33

Plant:!Pachypodium&lealii!
Family:!Apocynaceae13!!
!
Common(names:!!
Bottelboom13,!22!!
Bottle!tree22!!
Flaschenbaum13,!22!!
Ohuanga22!!
Ohwanga13,!22!!
(
Habitat:((
This!species!of!Pachypodium!occurs!in!the!Karstveld!19°E!and!21°S!in!the!
northwestern!highlands13.!!The!bottle!tree!grows!in!savanna!bushveld22.!
!
Diagnostic(characteristics:!(
The!trunk!from!the!base!is!often!swollen!
from!water!storage,!a!typical!trait!of!these!
pachycauls13.!!This!consequent!tree!shape!
gives!it!its!common!name!bottleStree13.!!
Bark!of!the!trees!is!thick!and!tends!to!
range!from!brown!to!grey7.!!A!figment!of!
rocky!areas,!the!bottle!tree!has!distinct!
white!flowers7.!!They!are!huge,!some!
spanning!the!size!of!a!human!palm13.!!
Their!petal!edges!are!ruffled!and!upward!
facing7.!!The!plant!can!reach!up!to!8!m!in!
height!at!maturity7,!13.!!These!flowers,!
which!are!pink!at!the!center,!beautify!
from!May!to!November!with!fruits!
budding!from!July!through!December13.!!These!cylindrical!fruit!are!brown!once!fully!
grown!and!tend!to!reach!a!maximum!of!100!mm!in!size13.!!
!
Leaves,!clustered!at!spine!axils,!can!reach!close!to!the!size!of!the!fruit13.!!Distinctly!
wavy!margins!and!short!petioles!characterize!
these!elliptical!leaves!that!occur!on!the!tree!
from!November!to!April13.!!Branches!occur!at!
the!apical!meristem!of!each!specimen!with!
prominent!trios!of!white!thorns!that!get!darker!
towards!the!ends13.!
!!!(
Governmental(protection(status:(
P.&lealii!is!protected!by!the!Nature!
Conservation!Ordinance!and!listed!on!CITES!
appendix!II13.!
!
!