Alluaudia comosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Alluaudia comosa | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Didiereaceae |
| Genus: | Alluaudia |
| Species: | A. comosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Alluaudia comosa (Drake) Drake | |
Alluaudia comosa is a rare species of flowering plant. It belongs to the family Didiereaceae, subfamily Didiereoideae, which is found only in the coastal area of SW Madagascar.[2] Didierea comosa Drake is a synonym.[3] It is listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1]
Alluaudia comosa has a distinctive, easily recognized silhouette with a short trunk and dense branches that stop in a flat crown.[4] This is a deciduous shrub to small tree 2-6 (-10) metres tall[4] that is woody, semi-succulent and spiny, with spines set singly.[2] Spines are grey and 1.5-3.5 cm long.[4]
Leaves are developed mostly in pairs, set on a short stalk (petiole), dying off at the beginning of the dry season.[2] They are rounded (10–22 mm X 10 mm) and fleshy.[4]