When I first learned of the Madagascar Spiny Forest garden at the Los Angeles Arboretum, I knew I had to visit. I have arbitrarily split the Madagascar Spiny Forest at the Los Angeles County Arboretum into two portions, roughly larger and smaller plants. This installation is a must for anyone planning to visit Madagascar or for those obsessed with succulents. This part is devoted to the famous Alluaudia and other trees of Madagascar. The Didiereaceae comprise 11 species divided into 4 genera, of which the largest is Alluaudia (six species). Alluaudia has been subdivided into the 2 sections Alluaudia and Androyella. In this way, Alluaudia procera has two sisters, Alluaudia ascendens and Alluaudia montagnacii. I have decided to do fairly major posts on this garden due to my recent visit to Madagascar. I hope this fills in the gaps on my plant coverage from there. In addition to this outdoor garden at the Arboretum (the only one on the West Coast), other collections of Madagascar’s unique plants that can be seen in the United States include: the Lin Lougheed Spiny Forest of Madagascar at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida; a collection of spiny forest plants in Koko Crater Botanical Garden, a satellite site of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Oahu, Hawaii; an indoor collection at Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, Georgia; and the indoor Spiny Desert of Madagascar at Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland, Ohio.
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