Adenium obesum

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Geoff
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Adenium obesum

#1

Post by Geoff »

aka Desert Rose... super common and fairly cheap plant... but huge ones are worth a lot. I find them easy to take care of... but easy to rot if you let them get cold. They love rain, but ONLY if not very cold (over 40F preferably).
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Adenium obessum huge Intercity 15.jpg
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Adenium obesum nice trunk CCC.jpg
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Adenium obesum roots CCC.jpg
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Jkwinston
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Re: Adenium obesum

#2

Post by Jkwinston »

Tacarigua, Trinidad
Tacarigua, Trinidad
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Tacarigua, Trinidad
Tacarigua, Trinidad
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Tacarigua, Trinidad
Tacarigua, Trinidad
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Tacarigua, Trinidad
Tacarigua, Trinidad
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Tacarigua, Trinidad
Tacarigua, Trinidad
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Jkwinston
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Re: Adenium obesum

#3

Post by Jkwinston »

Native to East Africa and the Middle East, adeniums are quite easy to grow from seeds. Usually, they germinate in about a week or more, as long as the seeds are fresh. It is possible to grow them from cuttings, but that is better left to growers in the tropics. They prefer well drained soil, and should respond easily if treated as succulents. As tropical plants, they do not like cold weather which causes them to rot. Don't be fooled they may look al-right at lower temperatures, but 10C/50F is a safe minumum. For most of us, it will be easier to buy young plants because of the numerous hybrids available today. Jkw
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Melt in the Sun
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Re: Adenium obesum

#4

Post by Melt in the Sun »

I've seen them growing in the ground, in shade, in the Phillipines - pretty impressive for a plant from the Arabian peninsula!

When dry they do pretty well down to freezing...at least, that was my experience til this year. Normally I keep them bone dry from about October, outside on a high shelf out of the sun once they defoliate. I normally would just bring them in and put them on the counter overnight when frost was threatening. This year my largest one rotted from the bottom...no idea why. I managed to root a couple cuttings of it, but most of those rotted too...I think I didn't cut far enough up and the same rot was already in my cuttings.

I've seen it said that cuttings won't ever develop the fat base that seedlings will. This isn't true, but it will take a little longer to get there. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a cutting of a nice variety...better to wait a couple extra years than have an ugly graft scar forever!
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Jkwinston
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Re: Adenium obesum

#5

Post by Jkwinston »

Melt, my experience was very sad. I had grown a few plants from seeds, and they were well on their way. I left them in the greenhouse till December, temperature 45F and they looked fine. As the real winter approaches, I moved them indoors, and was glad to see them looking fantastic. I even gave them a spray of water. But by January they were all dead, one by one they rotted. You have warmer day temperature than the UK, and that will make a difference. Jkw
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mcvansoest
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Re: Adenium obesum

#6

Post by mcvansoest »

I winter mine outside under a patio roof and, like you Danny, stop watering them completely late October/early November, even when it is still hot, it takes them a while to harden off for winter. Last winter (2015/16) most never went fully dormant though I still did not water them, this last winter most of them did - I kept them a little further from the heat leak that is our kitchen window (I am pretty sure they stick around 45F if in front of that window even on below freezing nights), so that may be it.

However, I also did an experiment - I put a big box store bought cheap Adenium Obesum (presumably a hybrid, but not sold as such) in the ground. To give it some protection I planted it in near a Tacoma stans and under the shade of my Palo Verde. Then the wet winter happened and I for sure thought I would find a rotted out carcass come spring, but surprise surprise, it survived, got a little bit of damage at the tallest stem tip, but did not even loose all of its leaves, now it is making branches and plenty of new leaves, and I am thinking I did not plant it in enough sun.

Now we only went down to 31F once this winter, that was it, so not very cold at all, but it was relatively speaking super wet - I lost a couple of cacti to that wetness - so in the right circumstances they can survive. The one big thing is that even in winter while we can get a lot of rain, we rarely have high humidity for very long, which I am sure is different for you Jkw.

Here is the in the ground experiment:
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Jkwinston
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Re: Adenium obesum

#7

Post by Jkwinston »

Very interesting Thijs, and very brave. But I am certain you are right. With our wet and cold climate, I believe it would not stand a chance. Jkw
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mcvansoest
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Re: Adenium obesum

#8

Post by mcvansoest »

This came to me as Adenium obesum, but I have read that most of these kind of cultivars usually have been hybridized with some other Adenium at least once so it could be put in an 'Adenium obesum hybrid' entry in the gallery, but I think at that point there might be quite few plants that would actually go in the straight up entries for the plant.

Anyway, its best flowering so far:
Adenium obesum big red flower
Adenium obesum big red flower
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Though on some previous occasions the edge of the flower petals was a deep black color, not showing that this year. My purely white one, which has not (yet) flowered this year occasionally will come in with a slight pink tinge. They have really turned it on since we hit may and night time Ts have stayed in the high 50s and above consistently.
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Re: Adenium obesum

#9

Post by Stan »

A.obesum and others, will fool you. They will take a winter..grow well for a summer or two..and as that caudex gets size? THATS when they melt over a regular winter..even under shelter. I've gotten 3 to really nice size..all eventually collapsed. Either put them in a greenhouse.or live in a very mild winter..temps rarely below 45f. IMO..smile.
I wish we had a poster from far,far,south Arizona. I think Yuma might be a true subtropical climate...they would have largest I bet.
Hayward Ca. 75-80f summers,60f winters.
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Re: Adenium obesum

#10

Post by Stan »

Dorstenia gigas? You Arizona guys can grow them in ground...they take my winters,my cold,my rains. The just grow VERY slow.
Hayward Ca. 75-80f summers,60f winters.
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Re: Adenium obesum

#11

Post by mcvansoest »

Tucson is further south than Yuma. It probably stays warmer in winter in Yuma compared to Tucson, but so does the Phoenix area, actually Phoenix is pretty much the same as Yuma for average winter lows. The problem is the occasional, but these days, relatively rare period where it does freeze a few nights in a row.

I honestly think the biggest deal for Adeniums in winter in your area is the humidity, you need to keep them dry all winter long, and given the humidity in the Bay Area, the cold is often 'wet' even if the plant is protected from precipitation, the humidity might get to them.

Here we really do not get much humidity for any length of time, but I still start winter hardening them in late October, early November, when it is still pretty hot, but I reduce watering in October and stop completely in November, even if they look like they are not going dormant I still do not water them during the winter months. I start watering the moment night time lows are 50+.

I do keep them on my patio so they are protected from rain, and they are near a pretty heat leaky window, so even when it gets close to or below freezing they probably do not see those temperatures for very long.

We will see how my in the ground experiment does the coming years.
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MSX
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Re: Adenium obesum

#12

Post by MSX »

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Together with my other dwarf Apocynaceaes - Nerium oleander 'Petite Red' and Plumeria obtusa 'Dwarf Singapore Pink'
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plantguy
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Re: Adenium obesum

#13

Post by plantguy »

Aren't these the plants that are usually grafted onto oleander so they grow faster?
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Re: Adenium obesum

#14

Post by Stan »

That last photo shows the family that Adenium are related to. Oleander and Plumeria. Could have added Pachypodiums like P.lamerei and Mandevilla vines.
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Melt in the Sun
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Re: Adenium obesum

#15

Post by Melt in the Sun »

plantguy wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 4:16 pm Aren't these the plants that are usually grafted onto oleander so they grow faster?
I have never seen that...would be a shame not to have the nice gnarled roots.
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