Product Description
Xerosicyos pubescens (also known as Zygosicyos pubescens in some treatments) is a remarkable caudiciform vine in the Cucurbitaceae family, native to the dry deciduous forests and rocky habitats of southwestern Madagascar. The plant develops a substantial, swollen, rounded to flattened caudex with smooth, pale gray to greenish bark, from which slender, twining vines emerge during the warm growing season. The leaves are heart-shaped to roundish, soft, and notably covered with a dense pubescence (fine hair) that gives the species its name and distinguishes it from the more familiar smooth-leaved Xerosicyos species. The combination of the bold storage organ below and the delicate, fuzzy, vining foliage above makes this one of the most distinctive small caudiciforms available.
In summer, Xerosicyos pubescens produces small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers along the vines. As with most Cucurbitaceae, the species is dioecious, with male and female flowers borne on separate plants, so two individuals of opposite sex are required for seed production. Pollinated female flowers develop into small, dry to slightly fleshy fruits containing flat seeds, characteristic of the family. In cultivation, the species requires full sun to very bright light, warm temperatures, and an exceptionally fast-draining mineral-rich soil mix. It is a strict summer grower and benefits from regular watering once the vines emerge, followed by a strict dry rest period after leaf drop in autumn. Overwatering during dormancy is the principal cause of trouble.
