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Adenium obesum

Desert Rose · Impala Lily · Mock Azalea · Desert-rose

Family ApocynaceaeGenus Adenium

A squat swollen-trunked shrub with bare branches carrying pink flowers
The whole plantZSMCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Houseplant, SucculentExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
semisucculent shrubPlants of the World Online
Height
3-9 ft0.9-2.7 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
3-5 ft0.9-1.5 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Pink, Red/Burgundy, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
11-12Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sunExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry, Very DryExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 21, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: either

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 15 days to germinate.

40% germination in 12–15 days.

Light made no difference.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Adenium p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Adenium (Apocyanaceae). A. obesum germ. 40% in 12-15 d in either 70D or 70L. All seeds rotted when treated with GA-3 or when started at 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Adenium p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1.

0% germination.

Every seed rotted.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Adenium p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Adenium (Apocyanaceae). A. obesum germ. 40% in 12-15 d in either 70D or 70L. All seeds rotted when treated with GA-3 or when started at 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Adenium p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Every seed rotted.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Adenium p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Adenium (Apocyanaceae). A. obesum germ. 40% in 12-15 d in either 70D or 70L. All seeds rotted when treated with GA-3 or when started at 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Adenium p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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