I am trying to get some information on the Desert Rose. From what I have heard it is from Indonesia. I have five of these plants that I bought in the Rio Grande Valley and one of them has two large seed pods on it. Today one of the seeds broke open and it is full of seeds that look like dandelions only much larger. I would like to know what the Latin name for this plant is and what do I do with the seeds that are inside of the pods. Can they be planted to grow other Desert Roses? I have looked in every book I can and cannot find any information on this plant.
This is what Paul Cox of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens had to say about the Desert Rose: "The most common Desert Rose in cultivation is Adenium obesum. They are oleander relatives from East Africa. Sow the seeds in a well drained sandy medium and, keep them warm and give them plenty of sun. Hope this helps out, Paul."
Images can be seen at these Web sites:
www.csdl.tamu.edu...
www.csdl.tamu.edu...
The following information is from Botanica on CDROM: Adenium obesum; Family name: Apocynaceae
Common name(s): Impala lily, Desert rose
Synonym(s): Adenium coetanum; Adenium multiflorum
In the wild this species can make a small tree of 12 ft (3.5 m) or more with swollen trunk and thick, crooked limbs, but in cultivation it seldom exceeds about 5 ft (1.5 m), with a sparse branching habit. Whorls of lance-shaped to oval, glossy leaves are grouped at the branch tips, but when in flower in winter it is usually leafless. The very decorative, trumpet-shaped blooms are 1 _2 in (3850 mm) long and vary considerably in coloring; most popular is a very pale pink or white with deep pinkish-red margins. Cultivar names have been given to a number of the color forms, most of which appear to be derived from subspecies obesum, which extends over the species' whole geographical range‹some of the other subspecies are more succulent, and are sometimes grown by succulent collectors.
Hardiness zone from 11 To 12; Plant Height approx. 150 cm;
Flowering colors: Pink, Red, White;
Flowering season: Winter; Garden type: Dry Garden, Large Garden, Tropical, Container;
Position: Sunny, Semi-Shaded; Soil: Medium Loam.
Adenium Cultivation: Popular in tropical gardens, they prefer a position in full sun or part-shade and thrive best in climates with a well-marked dry season. Kept dwarfed and rootbound in a pot, they will often flower more profusely. As they are very prone to rotting, they require a gritty, well-drained soil. Propagate from seed or cuttings.