Adenia glauca (Elephant’s Foot)

Scientific Name — Adenia glauca

Common Name — Elephant’s Foot

Plant Family — Passifloraceae

Background

Adenia glauca is an arid plant, native to southern Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula. In its native environment, it grows in rocky terrain as a tall, deciduous, woody climber.

Adenia glauca gets its common name of elephant’s foot due to its bulbous caudex. This stores water during periods of abundant rainfall, making it a very drought-tolerant species. In its indigenous environment, it can grow up to three meters tall, while plants cultivated indoors typically reach up to two feet in height.

While a pleasure to look at, an important part of elephant’s foot plant care is proper handling. Adenia glauca contains a poisonous sap that is highly irritating if it is ingested or comes in contact with skin.

Growth Requirements

Sun

These plants enjoy bright light and will thrive in 5-8 hours of direct sun per day. Keeping the caudex shaded while providing full sun to the leaves and stems is ideal for proper elephant’s foot palm care. 

These plants grow well outdoors during the warm spring and summer months. In the winter, place them indoors in a sunny windowsill. 

Temperature/ Humidity 

Taking care of your elephant’s foot plant means ensuring it gets plenty of sun and warmth.

• Adenia glauca should be sheltered from extreme cold. Temperatures below 44ºF are detrimental.

• For successful growth, temperatures should remain above 60ºF.

• High heat is tolerated, although ideal temperatures range in the high 70s.

Water

Regular watering is key, particularly when your elephant’s foot is actively growing in the spring and summer months. Water thoroughly, fully saturating the soil. Be sure to let the soil dry out completely in between waterings. 

Ease up on watering during the colder months. These are deciduous plants that will lose their leaves in the fall and winter. Fewer leaves mean these plants are using less water and energy. If you water too much when leaves are scarce, your plant may fall victim to root rot. 

Soil/Roots

For ideal elephant’s foot plant care, choose soil that is:

• Gritty

• Fast-draining

• Fertile

• Mildly acidic

Try the Tula House arid mix for a great mix of exactly what your elephant’s foot requires. Pumice stone is an excellent amendment for providing additional drainage and aeration to the soil mixture. 

Coco coir is another great addition to the soil here, as it will retain moisture while draining excess water freely. It also provides structure, allowing roots to easily permeate and anchor themselves in the soil.

Visit Tula House for expert guidance in selecting the right soil amendments to care for your elephant’s foot palm and other cacti. 

Flowering

Adenia glauca blooms during the summer, between the months of June and August. Flowers are modest and small, ranging in color from a pale yellow to a light green. Elephant’s foot flowers are imperfect, which means male and female flowers are on different plants.

Fertilization

Care for your elephant’s foot plant by applying a fertilizer made for cacti and succulents about once every 2-3 weeks. Use an acidifying fertilizer that is high in phosphorus and potassium, for example, a 5:10:10 solution.

Apply fertilizer only during the active growth season. In fall and winter, hold off on fertilizing and ease up on watering in general.

Propagation

Elephant’s foot is most easily propagated from seeds. While it is possible to take cuttings, these generally do not produce a caudex. 

As a rule of thumb, plants grown for seed production are generally started from cuttings since these bloom more frequently. Alternatively, ornamental plants are generally started from seeds since these are more likely to develop a caudex. 

Health

There are just a few things to watch for with Adenia glauca:

• Proper care for your elephant’s foot plant requires watching out for root rot, caused by overwatering.

• While Adenia glauca is not particularly susceptible to pests, it’s always wise to keep an eye out for any bugs, especially in the spring and summer. 

• During the warmer months, check your plant for any signs of bacterial or fungal infections, such as leaf spot or wilt disease.

Maintenance (pruning, legginess, repotting)

Little pruning is needed when caring for your elephant’s foot plant. Just snip away any unhealthy-looking leaves. 

Repot Adenia glauca during the active growth season, once the caudex starts running out of room to grow. This is roughly every 2-3 years. 

Toxicity

Be cautious when you take care of your elephant’s foot palm! Adenia glauca produces a poisonous sap. Wear gloves when handling the plant, particularly when pruning. If you do come in contact with the sap, wash your skin immediately. 

This plant is toxic and should be kept away from children and pets.

FAQs

Why doesn’t my Adenia glauca have a large caudex?

It may be that your plant was started from cuttings, which results in a small or almost non-existent caudex. If the elephant’s foot plant you’re caring for was grown from seed, you may just need to be patient.

As long as you are providing strong sunlight and watering correctly, healthy growth should occur in time.

Will an elephant’s foot plant do okay in a darker apartment?

Adenia glauca definitely wants bright light. Otherwise, it can become leggy and weak and may not survive. Grow lights can help, but remember that warmth is also a requirement for thriving elephant’s foot plants.

My Adenia glauca is losing a lot of leaves. Is that normal?

Plant owners caring for elephant’s foot palms should bear in mind that these plants are deciduous. That means they will naturally shed leaves during certain months — in this case, wintertime.

In the winter months, your plant:

• Needs less water

• Grows slowly or temporarily stops

• Shouldn’t be fertilized

Still have questions about caring for your elephant’s foot plant? Schedule an in-store plant care session at Tula House, or book an online consultation.