Pachypodium cactipes may merely represent a southerly form of the Pachypodium rosulatum complex but some authors preferred to recognize it as a distinct species until further research clarifies its affinities. Its rich green glossy foliage, showy yellow flowers on long stems and ease of culture make it one of the more rewarding of the genus.
Habit: Shrub-like up to 1 m high, diameter up to 1.50 m, with a squat pachycaul trunk (inflated base).
Caudex: Spineless, strongly succulent to subglobose and (at least apically) spiny that turns silver grey as it ages. After the plant first flowers, it begins to branch until it forms a head of short, thick, tapered branches with groups of leaves sprouting from the tips of the branches. Young stems more or less erect.
Leaves: The leaves, which fall in the dry season, form a rosette on the top of branches. They are deciduous, very dark green above, white below, margins revolute.
Spines: Weak, needle-like, reddish, conical on the upper half of the plant.
Flowers: Open-faced, canary yellow, at the end of long pedunculate inflorescences, with rather short and wide tubes and hairy ovary. Corolla pale yellow outside, bright yellow inside.
Blooming season: Late winter and early spring before the leaves appear.
Seeds: Narrowly spoon-shaped to oval.