Of the two species of Didierea (the other one is D. trollii), this is by far the most widespread and best-known. It occurs abundantly on red sandy soils in SW Madagascar, from the dry spiny bush in the Toliara area northwards to the Morondava river.
D. madagascariensis has quite a distinctive growth form: the single trunk is up to 0.5 m thick and 6 m or more tall; it is generally unbranched up to 2 m high.
The branches usually grow more or less upright and are often curved towards the top; the short lateral shoots give rise to clusters of very long spines (up to 12 cm) and groups of short-lived, greyish green and narrow leaves (7-15 cm long and 0.3-1 cm wide).
The inflorescences may cover extensive areas of the upper branches. The numerous unisexual flowers are pale yellowish to greenish-red and open only during sunny weather between 10 am and 2 pm to be pollinated by bees.
In cultivation, the plants are often propagated by grafting a short-shoot on a strong plant of Alluaudia procera, thereby producing nice specimens within 3 to 4 years.
