Adenium obesum Seeds | Desert Rose
LATIN NAME: Adenium obesum
COMMON NAME: Desert Rose
Plant Profile
Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) is a succulent shrub of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), native to the arid regions of East Africa and Arabia. It grows 1-3 m, with a grotesquely swollen, water-storing caudex, sparse glossy leaves and clusters of showy, trumpet-shaped flowers in pink, red and white. Prized by collectors and bonsai growers, it is drought-loving but frost-tender, and its sap is poisonous.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Adenium obesum ranges from the botany of the Adenium group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Its remarkable caudex has also made it a popular subject in succulent plant breeding and bonsai-style cultivation, with growers selecting for particularly dramatic trunk shapes and flower colours. In the laboratory and trial ground alike, it serves as workable material for propagation research and line selection.
Uses & Benefits
Desert Rose works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Because its sap is toxic if ingested, it is best kept out of reach of small children and pets, and gloves are advisable when repotting or trimming a plant with damaged stems. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
The desert rose is grown purely for its spectacular swollen trunk and flowers. Like many apocynum-family plants it carries a toxic, milky sap containing cardiac glycosides, so it should be handled with care and kept away from children and pets.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Desert Rose under ordinary good conditions. Fresh seed does well in a warm, humid environment; sow it onto surface of a very free-draining, gritty succulent mix, press in lightly, and keep it warm with bright but not scorching light. Water sparingly once seedling is established, since this desert-adapted species is far more likely to suffer from overwatering than underwatering, and distinctive swollen caudex begins to develop visibly within the plant’s first year or two of growth. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
It is a solid representative of the Adenium group, true to type from seed. Young plants want steady water; older plants take conditions as they come.
Related Reading
Continue exploring with these related plants: