Pachypodium lamerei is a very attractive spiny semidecidous or deciduous semitropical succulent stemmed tree, 2,5-6 m tall, or more with optimal conditions. (As a houseplant, it is much smaller) In cultivation it is often marketed as the "Madagascar Palm", despite in not being a palm at all. The Pachypodium tends to lose its leave and go dormant in winter in temperate climate areas.