4" Adenium Obesum 'Desert Rose'

Scattered and smattered across the dusty, arid, lonely deserts of Africa and Arabia are surreal clumps of Adenium Obesum-the Desert Rose. You start out with a bulbous, huge, rooty thing that bulges out of the ground (or your pot) that actually is exposed root. Taking all sorts of fantastical, improbable shapes, the plant makes a bonsai without even trying. From that wild beginning comes a quite prosaic, ordinary stalk (or a few) with run-of-the-mill, completely sensible beige/green stem supporting tidy 1"-2" oval, green leather leaves with pale veins spiraling the stalk. The best part is those desert roses! Splendid 5-petaled trumpets burst from the stems regularly in mostly bright reds and pinks, some with pale throats. The blooms are way bigger than you would think from the scale of the plant. They're related to Oleander and the lovely Plumeria of all things, and these extravagant flowers mirror those family ties. Some wild desert denizens can reach 16'. Can you imagine what that must look like? Yours will be slow growing and a much more manageable size. And just in case you have some Polka Dot Wasp Moth caterpillars around they'll have something to eat.

• Low Maintenance
• Drought Tolerant

Quick Care Guide:

• Water - Low (1):  Needs very little water to survive. Wait until the plant is completely dry then fully soak. Drought tolerant by nature.
• High - (5):  Plant needs a lot of light; direct is even better. These plants do best when placed on a window sill or next to a bright window. Avoid concentrated, hot light from window which may cause burning (magnifying glass effect).        
• Difficulty - Low (1):  These plants need barely any attention to thrive. Set it and forget it.

 View full breakdown of Care Guide here.