| Didierea madagascariensis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Didiereaceae |
| Genus: | Didierea |
| Species: | D. madagascariensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Didierea madagascariensis Baill. (1880)
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Didierea mirabilis Baill.; Alluaudiopsis marnieriana Rauh | |
Didierea madagascariensis, commonly known as the octopus tree,[2] is a species of Didiereaceae endemic to the spiny thickets of southwestern Madagascar.[3] It was first described scientifically by the French botanist Henri Ernest Baillon in 1880[4] and is the type species of the genus Didierea.
It is known in Malagasy as sohongy, sony and soribarika.[5] Sohongy and sony come from the Tanosy dialect word songo meaning "lock of hair" or a rooster's crest or comb[6] possibly referring to its branches that sprawl upwards.
As with all members of the sub-family Didiereoideae, this is a semi-succulent woody, shrub to small tree.[7] It is densely spiny and can grow up to 10 metres (33 ft) tall.[8] Spines are arranged in whorls, mostly of four.[7] Leaves are small and narrow-lanceolate and arranged in rosettes.[7]
