Adenium Obesum (Desert Rose) – Live Plant

Desert Rose is a flowering succulent in the dogbane family. When damaged, desert rose plants exude a poisonous, white, sticky sap that had been used by native hunters to tip arrows and as a fish toxin. Collectors love desert rose for its majestic blooms and thick bulbous bases, referred to as caudex stems. Desert Rose plants grown from seed will usually have thicker bases, although mature cuttings can eventually thicken with age. The blooms come in a wide range of colors, including red and white, purple and white, white and yellow. These plants are easy to grow and drought-tolerant like many other succulents, yet their leaves are still know to burn in intense sun. Give the bases plenty of room to expand, and these plants will expand rather quickly and it will promote thicker stems. Desert rose can form multiple heads and sprout multiple blooms at once. Blooming occurs twice per year. You can grow desert rose similar to aloe, or other tender succulents.

 Desert rose is usually pollinated by butterflies, or they can be hand pollinated if you have two separate specimens blooming at the same time. Choose blooms that have been open for a few days. Pull off one bloom entirely from the first plant. Peel back the petals of that bloom until you reveal a small cone at the base in the center of the petals. Collect the pollen with a toothpick from the tip of this cone. Next, peel back the petals of another flower. It should not be a clone of the first plant, and it must remain attached to the plant so the seeds can grow. Otherwise,  the bloom will die when it is detached. Peel back the petals of the still-attached bloom to reveal the cone on that plant. Then, transfer the pollen to the stigma in the middle of the cone on that plant. After several days, a long fruit should begin forming. Once you see a fruit, you should put the plant in a covered container or bag, such a fine mesh bag, because the seeds will disperse widely once the fruit matures and snaps open.