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Desert Rose, bonsai's poor cousin
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The flowers of Adenium are perhaps the showiest of all succulents
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BEAUTY SPOT The Desert Rose is drought resistant
Adenium Obesum or Desert Rose (Apocynaceae family) is a species of spectacular succulent native to tropical Africa and Arabia. The plant is a spreading succulent bush, two metres in height, with a thick, fleshy, twisted globose base that tapers gradually upwards, may be rigid and upright, with rather weak and spreading, short branches. The leaves are fleshy deciduous, crowded at the top of the branches. The curious form of the plant is further enhanced by some of the showiest flowers of all succulents, often borne in masses over a long season. The flowers are pale pink to deep red on the petal margins, always fading to near white towards the throat. The throat (floral tube) is white, sometimes with faint red nectar guide. The flower size averages about 6-7 cm (two inches) in diameter, but this is quite variable among clones. The Adenium is well adapted for growing in pots. Young plants of this variety have a small, ovoid caudex (woody base), and old specimens have large caudexes. Old plants, without any training, look like a bonsai.
Despite their beauty and ease of culture, Adeniums are not nearly as popular as one might expect. Perhaps they simply haven't received the exposure they deserve. Adeniums are drought-enduring and can survive for two months or more without being watered. Over flooding of the pot while watering may lead to rotting of the stem base and roots.
The Adenium obesum is potentially semi-evergreen: if kept warm and well watered, plants will grow and often flower through the winter. Under such conditions they undergo only a brief leaf-drop and dormancy, usually a few weeks in spring or early summer. They are seldom attacked by insects, pests or micro-organisms.
Popular pot plants
The flowering habit is extremely variable and is influenced by both cultural and genetic factors. When grown under ideal conditions of ample heat and water, some clones flower for two to four months; some of them are almost ever blooming. Plants are propagated by seeds, cuttings and by grafting. Viability of seed is very short, for a few weeks only. Seeds are to be sown immediately after harvesting. Seed-grown plants are typically vigorous and can flower in as little as eight to 12 months. Plants grown from cuttings are equally vigorous; their roots become greatly enlarged in a couple of years and can be exposed when the plant is re-potted to make a more interesting specimen. After several years the stems will also have thickened, such that cuttings are indistinguishable from seed-grown plants. Grafted plants are more reliable for flower colour and vigorous growth.
JACOB VARGHESE
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