As a young plant, this species looks rather uninteresting, but that changes dramatically over time. Unfortunately not many readers will have the time and the space needed to grow a specimen to perfection, but in north and west Madagascar, where it is endemic, it is often grown as an ornamental tree (see first picture). It is also a characteristic component of deciduous forests and palm savannas.
These pachycaul trees may become 3-6 m tall, with a swollen stem-base 50-70 cm in diameter and deciduous leaves 16 cm long and 4.5 cm wide.
The inflorescences appear at the branch tips and bear numerous white flowers with
lobes 2-4 cm long and about 2 cm wide.
