Adenium obesum
Sabi Star, Kudu, Mock Azalea, Impala Lily
Sub-Saharan Africa | Tropical & Subtropical
An unusual little plant that unexpectedly boasts plentiful flowers. The Desert Rose is distinguished by its plump swollen stem (called a caudex) topped by a tangle of thick, stubby branches with bundles of small green leaves and studded with impressively pink blooms in the spring and summer.
cactus or succulent, moderate, direct, drought tolerant, mid-size, upright, tabletop. floor, tree or tree-like, tropical, subtropical, arid or semi-arid
Water thoroughly when soil is about 50% to entirely dry. Avoid overwatering at all costs. Watering may be even less frequent during winter months or in less light.
Primarily plenty of bright, indirect light with a few hours of direct light is ideal for a happy, thriving Desert Rose.
While not too bothered about high humidity, your Desert Rose will appreciate the occasional misting, which helps remove dust from their leaves.
Loves the heat! Will do most of their growth in temps over 70°F. Can tolerate lower temperatures, but will not grow as much.
Desert Rose leaves are mildly toxic to pets and humans. Ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation and possible vomiting. Some people experience skin irritation when handling the sap.
Indoors, this plant can grow up to around 3 ft tall with a 1-2 ft spread (when mature and with enough light)!
Generally a single bulbous trunk grows upright, topped with a jumble of stubby branches that feature bundles of small green leaves and, depending on the season, may also feature a bright pink bloom. Works best on a tabletop for smaller specimens and on the floor or a plant stand for a larger one.
Delicate teardrop leaves line the branches and form small bundles that radiate out like little bursts of green at the tip. In the spring and summer, you may find bright pink blooms emerging from these bundles.
The Desert Rose is distinguished by their plump, swollen trunk, which is known as a caudex. Similar to other storage devices like bulbs and corms, a caudex can store water and nutrients. Making them especially drought-tolerant.
Water
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Allow half of soil to dry out before watering again.
Water thoroughly when soil is about 50% to entirely dry. Avoid overwatering at all costs. Watering may be even less frequent during winter months or in less light.
Light
|
Bright, indirect to direct light.
Primarily plenty of bright, indirect light with a few hours of direct light is ideal for a happy, thriving Desert Rose.
Humidity
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Not too concerned by humidity levels.
While not too bothered about high humidity, your Desert Rose will appreciate the occasional misting, which helps remove dust from their leaves.
Temperature
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Enjoys warmer temps.
Loves the heat! Will do most of their growth in temps over 70°F. Can tolerate lower temperatures, but will not grow as much.
Toxicity
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Mildly toxic to humans and pets if ingested.
Desert Rose leaves are mildly toxic to pets and humans. Ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation and possible vomiting. Some people experience skin irritation when handling the sap.
Size
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An in-betweener. Not too big, not too small.
Indoors, this plant can grow up to around 3 ft tall with a 1-2 ft spread (when mature and with enough light)!
Format
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Upright tree-like formation.
Generally a single bulbous trunk grows upright, topped with a jumble of stubby branches that feature bundles of small green leaves and, depending on the season, may also feature a bright pink bloom. Works best on a tabletop for smaller specimens and on the floor or a plant stand for a larger one.
Leaf Shape
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Bright green leaf bundles.
Delicate teardrop leaves line the branches and form small bundles that radiate out like little bursts of green at the tip. In the spring and summer, you may find bright pink blooms emerging from these bundles.
Fun Fact
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That swollen trunk has a name! It's a caudex.
The Desert Rose is distinguished by their plump, swollen trunk, which is known as a caudex. Similar to other storage devices like bulbs and corms, a caudex can store water and nutrients. Making them especially drought-tolerant.
Thrives in an airy, light, fast-draining potting mix—you can use a good quality potting mix labeled for succulents/cactus or supplement a standard indoor mix with an equal quantity of pumice or horticultural grit. Ensure the pot has the appropriate drainage and don't forget to pour out any excess water collected in the drainage tray or cachepot.
Try to repot every year in the spring, especially when tending to a younger plant. Once matured, you can reduce repotting frequency to 2-3 years. This plant thrives slightly rootbound. Increase the pot size by about 2 inches each time or until you're satisfied with the size. It's still important to repot at this stage, but it'll be an exercise of refreshing the soil, keeping the pot size the same, and possibly doing some root trimming to restrict the plant's growth. More on repotting here.
If you're not already planning to repot, you can fertilize during the spring and summer months. Once to every two months should be plenty. No fertilizer is necessary during the winter when plant growth naturally slows down. You can try a balanced liquid or water-soluble fertilizer—always diluted more than the recommended strength. More on using fertilizer here.
While no specific pruning is required for this plant, it's always good practice to regularly remove yellowed or dying leaves and any fallen plant debris. You can simply pluck these leaves from the base, but if you choose to use snips or pruners, ensure they are sanitized to avoid spreading disease or pests. If you're dealing with browning leaf tips and have resolved the underlying issue (usually humidity or water type), you can carefully trim these tips back if the look bothers you. More on grooming techniques here.
To propagate a Desert Rose, you can take apical stem cuttings (the top of the stem where there is new growth), around 3 inches long. Remove any lower leaves to ensure a clear stem before rooting in water or another medium. Desert Rose can be a bit more stubborn to root that other plants, so it can be helpful to dip the cut stem in rooting hormone first. Once the roots are a few inches long you can pot up your new plant! More on propagation techniques here.
A white mold covering the surface of the soil or full-on mushrooms sprouting in the soil or even popping out through drainage holes.
It can be frightening to notice mold or mushrooms growing on the soil. However, these fungii are usually benign and won't harm your plant directly. The real danger is that you're creating an environment that promotes fungal growth and is quite likely overly wet. Ultimately, these could be warning signs that you are overwatering.
If you want to eliminate the mold and mushrooms, you can simply remove and replace the top inch or so of soil. You can also try a soil soak of neem oil, which acts as a fungicide. But try not to overdo it, since you're delivering neem oil in a water-based solution, too much will do more harm than good. The most important factor will be to evaluate your watering frequency and ensure you aren't overwatering. While the visible fungii aren't problematic for your plant, sustained overwatering will eventually lead to a fungal infection at the roots, the cause of dreaded root rot.
Multiple leaves are wilting and turning yellow—particularly the older, lower leaves. You may also notice stunted growth and mushy stems.
The most likely culprit is overwatering and initial signs of root rot. When a plant's roots sit in waterlogged soil for too long, a fungal infection can quickly take over, causing the roots to rot (turning brown and mushy).
First, ensure that your plant has appropriate drainage (both in terms of well-draining soil and plenty of drainage holes in the plant's container).
If you think you've caught the overwatering early on, you can simply let the plant dry out more than you have been. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out before watering again. Continue monitoring and only water when needed. You may also try using chopsticks (or something similar) to poke holes in the soil to help the roots get more oxygen. And finally, you can try to "wick" the excess moisture out of the soil by placing the whole pot (with drainage holes) in a tray or container with dry soil. This new layer of dry soil should soak up some of the excess moisture from the waterlogged areas around your plant's roots.
However, if you suspect a serious case of root rot, you'll definitely need to take a peak at the roots by removing the plant entirely from their container. If there are any black and mushy roots, trim them back completely before repotting with fresh soil in a new or sterilized container.
Leaf edges curling, either inward or outward. Usually accompanied by some discoloration.
Leaves curling inward is often a sign of dehydration from either too much light or not enough water. Leaves curling outward is more likely a sign of not enough light or too much water.
The key is a well tuned balance between the amount of light and your frequency of watering. Instead of going by a set schedule, check-in with your plant to see if they need the water or not. You'll want to allow around half the soil to dry out completely before watering again. While this may be on a consistent schedule for some months, as the seasons change, so will the amount of light and therefore your watering schedule must shift.
A complete lack of flowers or very few flowers.
Desert Rose plants generally need a resting period in winter in order to produce plenty of blooms. A little bit of stress is actually the trigger for a plant to flower more vigorously.
In the winter, keep your Desert Rose in slightly cooler temperature ranges than you normally would—aim for around 60°F. While this should happen naturally, make sure they're also getting a bit less light (and therefore less water). You may even allow the plant to get rootbound. Don't forget to return to your normal care routine when spring comes around and you should be rewarded for your efforts!
