Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult. Also known as the 'desert rose', is a succulent that stores water in a caudex. The caudex can be shaped and developed in different ways, making it look very decorative. The swollen trunk makes the evergreen shrub more tree-like in appearance. It can reach heights of up to five metres in nature, but when cultivated indoors, the Adenium houseplant can grow anywhere between 30 cm to 3 metres in height. These desert rose’s evergreen leaves are oval, thick, and dark green in colour. But it is not just their interesting stem shapes and evergreen leaves we find intriguing: their delicate flowers create a real contrast.
The name of the genus “adenium” is the Latinization of the local name “oddaejn” = of Aden and refers to the place where the plant was originally recovered. The specific name, Latin, “obesum” = obese, swollen, refers to the enlarged caudex.
Adenium obesum
Adenium obesum comes in a 6 cm pot and is ca. 14 cm tall
