Adenium Obesum aka Desert Rose

Adenium obesum aka known as Desert Rose is a popular houseplant and bonsai in temperate regions. This flowering succulent plant also goes by many names such as Impala Lily, Mock Azalea, Sabi Star, and Dwarf Bottle Tree. The locals here call it ‘Flower of Prosperity’, or ‘Prosperity Flower’.

They are well known for their beautiful pink blooms. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, red and pink, with a whitish blush outward of the throat.

Adenium Obesum is actually quite an easy plant to grow and relatively low maintenance once they are established. They like the sun, but not too much water. Apparently, they can live for years.

They are also very easy to propagate. Just cut off a section of the plant and stick it into a pot. Give it some water. Once it takes root and settles into the new environment, it will reward you with beautiful blooms, like these in the photos.

The sap of the Adenium obesum plant is toxic. They are said to be used as arrow poison throughout Africa for hunting large game.

This is one of a few plants we grow at home. This plant grew from a cutting from an older plant. I had trimmed it back a couple of times already because they are grwing too big for the pot. I haven’t decided what to do with it this time, whether I should let it grow, or should I trim it again.

There were thirteen flowers in this bloom. One flower will bloom each day, and it last about a week. By the time the last one bloom, the earlier blooms would have fallen off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~