Desert Rose Plants
Welcome to Suwannee Valley Nursery. Our Desert Rose Plants for sale from Suwannee Valley Nursery are bright light-loving, drought-tolerant flowering houseplants that serve as a focal point or accent indoors.
The desert rose is not actually a true rose, it earned its name because its flower shape resembles that of a rose. The flowers are highly fragrant and attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. Just like a rose, it showcases stunning and intricate flower formations. However, unlike traditional roses, the desert rose has adapted to survive in harsh conditions with limited water availability. Its thick, succulent-like stems and leaves store water, allowing it to withstand long periods of drought.
The desert rose flowering plant thrives well in desert settings and will bloom exquisitely in full, bright sun. They can also thrive in bright morning or afternoon sun, though they may not flower as profusely. These plants get lanky and weak-stemmed if kept in the shade.
Even though the bright sun stimulates blossom production, the Desert Rose takes a break during the hottest and rainiest months of the growing season. This results in two periods of blooming. You’ll see flowers begin to develop in early spring. With the right amount of light, your desert rose should bloom steadily until mid-summer.
At this point, blossoming will cease for 6-8 weeks only to resume in the early autumn months. Give your desert rose plant a good pruning and bring it inside when the temperature drops to 55 degrees Fahrenheit or less frequently.
One of the great things about The desert roses flowers last for much longer than other succulents. The blooms are long-lasting and are attractive to hummingbirds and pollinators such as bees and butterflies. When the weather begins to cool, you must bring your Adenium indoors to enjoy during the winter.
Adenium Obesum Desert Rose
There are many species of Adenium. However, the most common and easiest to find is Adenium Obesum Desert Rose. The dazzling Desert Rose, also known as ‘Adenium Obesum’ is native to Southwestern Africa. It is characterized by its unique swollen trunk, vibrant bright flowers, and waxy, shiny narrower leaves than of the arabicum broader and rounded leaves, making it an excellent choice for xeriscaping gardens or indoor cultivation. It is also used as a desert rose bonsai or adenium obesum bonsai plant! It’s easy to fall in love with this stunning beauty. Some other subspecies include:
- Adenium obesum subsp. oleifolium: Native to South Africa and Botswana, this species grows to 16 inches tall with a large tuberous stem, narrow olive green blade-like leaves, and salmon, pink, or pale pink with red tubular flowers.
- Adenium obesum subsp. socotranum: Native to Socotra, an Indian Ocean island between Somalia and Yemen, this is the largest of the species, rising to 15 feet tall with an 8-foot diameter trunk. Pink flowers are up to 5 inches in diameter and appear in spring while the plant is leafless.
- Adenium obesum subsp. somalense: Native to Eastern Africa this species has narrow blade-like leaves and twisting branches. It matures at 16 feet tall with a swollen and often twisted trunk. Trumpet-shaped flowers are pink, white, or crimson red,
- Adenium obesum subsp. swazicum: Also known by its common name, summer impala lily. This is a dwarf species that usually doesn’t get larger than 2 feet tall; native to Swaziland and South Africa. Showy flowers are pink to deep reddish-pink.
Proper Adenium Obesum Care is essential for growing healthy and vibrant Desert Rose Plants.
Adenium Arabicum Desert Rose
Adenium obesum var. arabicum, also known as the Desert Rose, is a stunning succulent native to the arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is frequently used for desert rose bonsai plants and is the most popular and most favorite variety of Desert Rose and is characterized by its thick, bigger caudex resembling a miniature baobab tree and beautiful clusters of pale pink flowers that range in color from pink and red to white. Its wider, light green fleshy leaves with tiny hairs, are arranged in a spiral pattern, adding to its unique aesthetic appeal. It is monoecious and self-sterile, and drought-tolerant leaves
The Adenium Arabicum is a remarkable succulent plant with a grotesquely swollen trunk, resembling a miniature baobab tree. It is a local or morphological form of the Adenium Obesum. Previously, it was commonly accepted to be a separate species. It is monoecious and self-sterile.
The Adenium Arabicum maintains high popularity amongst ‘fat plant’ collectors. This succulent is similar in appearance to the Adenium Obesum, but creates a massive, squatter and fatter caudex. There is little differentiation between its trunk and branches, making it the most succulent and “desert like” species.
The fleshy trunks and short naked branches are also somewhat colored in purple to dark brown. The Adenium Arabicum has larger, thick fleshy leaves. Its leaves are shiny on the upper and lower surface, unlike the Adenium Obesum. It is an extremely drought tolerant plant.
Flowers, similar in many ways to those of Frangipani, range from pink to red. They sparkle when sunlight shines on them. The form of the plant varies in habit and most plants in cultivation are hybrids, yet only a few cultivar names have a valid description. Plants grown from seed produce the most interestingly shaped caudices within only 10 years.
Proper Adenium Arabicum Care is essential for growing healthy and vibrant Desert Rose Plants.
At Suwannee Valley Nursery we have Adenium Obesum and Adenium Arabicum Desert Rose Plants for sale in Florida. All desert rose flower succulent plants grown in our own special formulated soil.