By Marina Welham
Featured image above: an AI text-to-image impression of Adenium obesum in full bloom,
in its natural habitat.
Adeniums are from Arabia through Kenya to Tanzania and also south-west Africa. They are stem succulents with thickened tuberous stems and thick branches not to mention lovely flowers.
The milky sap of adeniums is VERY poisonous. Be careful, if you are pruning the plant, not to get the sap in your eyes or on your skin!!!!
Adeniums hate wet feet. Make sure the soil is loose and well draining so it can dry out within a reasonable amount of time. On the other hand, if the plants are allowed to go totally dry for too long, they could be forced into dormancy and begin to drop their leaves.
This is my largest Adenium. This picture was taken when the plant started flowering. It produced a bumper crop of flowers/fun this year.
Plant, Photo & Comment: Bill Farnam, USA
6.10.02
Adeniums prefer warmth year round. They can freeze in a cold greenhouse.
To encourage the biggest possible caudex (base of the plant), leave the caudex below the soil and when it is a nice size, raise it a little every now and again to expose more root. You can cut off sucker roots around the caudex, but not those at the very bottom of the root system. And do not cut off large roots. They are needed to take up nutrients and water.
To keep the plants bushy, in spring cut back half of all branches. This will make those branches produce more branches and hopefully more flowers.
If adeniums refuse to flower, try using a high-phosphorous fertilizer.
These plants can burn if they have too much sun. Provide a little shade for protection. They can freeze, too. Do not let temperature go below 45F (7C). It is advisable to keep them at a minimum of 55F (12C) year round.
Cuttings will root, but resulting new plants will not have a caudex (fat bottom).
You must have two plants to set seed.
(From: The Amateurs’ Digest Vol 18 Issue 4 March 2007)
PHOTO MISSING FROM THE WAYBACK MACHINE
Photo credit: Adenium obesum
Note long seed pod in the middle of the plant.
Plant & Photo: Judy Zuber, USA
TADA: A different adenium obseum was found in The Wayback Machine and was enlarged and inserted above to fill out the article.
© Copyright THE AMATEURS’ DIGEST.
Rescued from The Wayback Machine.