Xeriscape Landscape Plants For The Arizona Desert Environment
Pictures, Photos, And Planting Information,
Succulents

Desert Rose, Adenium obesum

Desert Rose, Adenium obesum. Photos Taken At Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. May 31, 2008.
Desert Rose, Adenium obesum. Photos Taken At Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. May 31, 2008.

Desert Rose, Adenium obesum.	Desert Rose, Adenium obesum.
Desert Rose, Adenium obesum.	Desert Rose, Adenium obesum.

Desert Rose Adenium obesum, Dogbane Or Oleander Family ( Apocynaceae ), Desert Rose. Also called: Sabi Star, Kudu. Obesum, also known as Desert Rose, is an evergreen succulent shrub in tropical climates and semi-deciduous to deciduous in colder climates. Adenium obesum is native to the arid areas of Africa; including Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Desert Rose likes full sun in cooler areas of the USA, and they are very heat tolerant. In the Phoenix area it does best in partial shade. Best in a semi - shaded patio area. It produces very attractive flowers and it is a popular plant among the cacti and succulent collectors because of it's unusual trunk, as well as it's attractive flowers. The name "obesum" refers to the large fat base of the plant. In a container it reaches 2 - 3 feet in height but if planted in the ground it can reach 6 - 12 feet in height. If you want to grow Desert Rose for it's interesting shape; you should start them from seeds or buy plants that haven't been grafted onto root stock. The fat caudex (trunk) can't be achieved with grafting. If you are one of those people, like me, that "kill everything they try to grow", then this is a great plant for you. Adenium lives with little care and can take a good deal of neglect. This makes Desert Rose one of our ultra favorite plants. With that being said it grows best with some attention, as your Desert Rose will become larger, it becomes more interesting and more valuable every year. Large specimens can cost as much as $1,000 for older plants, with large bases and a multitude of branches. More branches mean more flowers which are extremely attractive. From time to time your Desert Rose may be attacked by aphids. Simply use a water spray or soap solution to keep it clean of pests. Desert Rose responds amazingly well to plenty of time release pellet food. Also use a a very well drained, acid soil mix, with plenty of peat moss and organic elements and coarse sand and a well drained CLAY pot with room available for plant growth. Being a member of the Oleander Family, Desert Rose exudes a highly toxic sap which is used by some peoples, such as the Akie in Tanzania, to coat arrow-tips for hunting. DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN OR PETS TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE SAP! TOO MUCH WATER WILL ROT THE ROOTS. Once one is growing, some people limit the plant to one cup of water a month. It would depend upon the location. DON'T WATER WHEN IT IS DORMANT! It is dormant when the leaves drop in the winter. Height: Up to 2 feet to 3 feet high and 2 feet wide in a pot. 6 to 12 feet in open cultivation. Flowers: White with a pink or sometimes red or lavender edge, tubular, solitary or in cymes, hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, 5-merous. Corolla with oblique lobes, contorted in bud. Stamens 5; anthers introrse, closely surrounding the stigma. Ovary superior; carpels 2. Blooming Time: Phoenix Arizona, Mid May - June. Seeds: Bean-like seed pods. When the seed pod is fully ripe on the plant, it will split open revealing seeds with beautiful "wings" so that seeds can blow away Leaves: The leaves glossy green, semi-deciduous, spirally arranged, clustered toward the tips of the shoots, simple, entire, leathery in texture, 5-15 cm long and 1-8 cm broad. Found: Native to dry areas of Africa; including Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Elevation: 0 to 3,800 feet. In Arizona Landscapes. Habitat: It grows well in sand, and sandy loamsoils. It needs good drainage and aeration. Miscellaneous: Photos Taken At Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. May 31, 2008. Maintenance: Low. Hardy to an indoor temperature of 50 °F.