Have a look at these Adenium varieties that you must know to bring the charm of a flowering bonsai right into your place!
Desert roses, aka Adeniums are the gems of the desert! They are slow-growing succulents with an interesting thick trunk structure, thin leaves, and gorgeous blossoms. The best part is that there are so many varieties to choose from. Read along to know more about them!
Best Adenium Varieties
1. Desert Rose
Botanical Name: Adenium arabicum
This is the most common desert rose variety that adorns pretty pink-red flowers with tidbits of white shade. There can be genuine confusion between this and the Adenium obesum species because of their similar appearance. However, this one has a rough caudex (trunk base) texture that ranges from gray to reddish brown.
2. The Bushman Poison Plant
Botanical Name: Adenium boehmianum
Well, among the many varieties of Adeniums, the Bushman poison Adenium is the second one with the largest leaves! Additionally, the flowers have broad petals that overlap each other with a light pink shade and a dark center.
3. Crispum Variety
Botanical Name: Adenium somalense var. crispum
This cultivar is a dwarf and more compact variety of the Adenium somalense species with a typically large flower compared to the plant size. Its interesting marbled foliage and structure are what make it attractive.
4. Impala Lily
Botanical Name: Adenium multiflorum or Adenium obesum subsp. multiflorum
Talk about the scarlet marginal flowers that this variety owns! If you want one with bright red-striped blossoms then, you cannot miss Impala Lily. Additionally, its dwarf form looks very nice once it takes a bushier form.
5. Sabi Star or Desert Rose
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum
The star of all the varieties out there, Adenium obesum holds both aesthetic and ecological importance. While its flowers bloom, they attract pollinators that are important for the ecosystem. The plant also has great medicinal potential for mankind.
6. Oleifolium Adenium
Botanical Name: Adenium oleifolium
Make sure to grow this variety in loose white or red sandy soil with lots of pebbles or pumice stones because Adenium oleifolium seems to thrive best in such growing mediums. Additionally, the sleek pattern of red margins on its pink blooms is a pretty interesting feature.
7. Somalense
Botanical Name: Adenium somalense
You can easily remember that it originates from Somalia– complementing its species name “somalense”! This is a rare type that has a distinctly thick succulent stem and bears pink flowers.
8. Summer Impala Lily
Botanical Name: Adenium swazicum
A dwarf, succulent shrub with pretty, lily-like, pink flowers borne on thick branches from late summer to autumn; a good rockery plant and a useful medicinal plant that grows up to 700 mm high and loses all its leaves in winter. The leaves appear together with the flowers in summer.
Fact: Adenium swazicum is listed as a Critically Endangered (CR) species on the Red List of South African plants.
9. Socotran Desert Rose
Botanical Name: Adenium socotranum
The Socotran Desert Rose is known by many names such as “Aden Rose of Socotra”, “Sack-of-Potatoes Tree” and so on. It is a plant with a mystical rocky shape and slopes and is also referred to as “The Giant of the Genus” meaning it is the largest species of the Adenium family.
10. Amethyst Adenium
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Amethyst’
A hybrid shrub variety that is quite attractive, with a purple-pink combination of flowers and glossy-green leaves. To keep it thriving, grow it in a warm location with soil that has good drainage.
11. Adenium Arctic Snow
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Arctic Snow’
You must have this variety if you are a fan of Adeniums! The flowers of this one have very beautiful wavy edges like frills and the white petals are nicely broad, thick, and overlapped with one another like rosettes.
12. Adenium Arrogant Variety
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Arrogant’
An all-pink hybrid variety of the Adenium obesum species. Adenium Arrogant is popular for its deep pink colored flowers that stand alone without much variegation but are very bright and beautiful. Since they are said to be too drought tolerant keep a close watch for waterlogging issues.
13. Adenium Beauty Cloud
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Beauty Cloud’
This Adenium variety gives off a nice bonsai shape in 2-3 years if you grow it from a seed. As a fast grower, you may be quite lucky to see the flowers appear in less than a year!
14. Black Romance Adenium
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Black Romance’
Featuring the deepest shades of velvety-red rosette-patterned flowers, the Black Romance Adenium shines from the common varieties for its attractive dark flowers with even darker edges and a white-pink center that adds more to the overall beauty.
15. Beautiful Dreamer
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Beautiful Dreamer’
Perfectly going by the name “Beautiful Dreamer” this cultivar gracefully embraces some attractive yellowish blooms that feature a unique striped pattern in pink with pink edges. The small, green leaves are just icing on the cake!
16. Picotee
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Picotee’
Straight from sub-Saharan regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Picotee variety is very popular among growers because of the trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom during the spring and summer seasons. These bloomers come in a varied range of colors.
17. Double Noble
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Double Noble’
While the Double Noble Adenium variety can grow up to 10 feet tall, many prefer to keep it in shrub form to make a perfect houseplant. Surprisingly, the best part is that you can see its showy flowers throughout the year!
Caution: The leaves, roots, fruits, and sap are poisonous to animals and humans.
18. Double Purple Charms
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Double Purple Charms’
This unique and eye-catching Adenium variety truly amazes a plant lover! It features gorgeous, double-layered flowers in shades of purple and white with a radially-aligned striped pattern.
19. Golden Carrot
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Golden Carrot’
Small yet stunning, this one can be a cool tabletop plant! The Golden Carrot variety has fully double flowers that are yellowish-orange with red highlights here and there. Moreover, these attractive flowers are slightly pointed at the edges, giving the shape of a carrot, and of course, that’s where the name comes from!
20. Good Night
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum ‘Good Night’
Last but not least, this particular cultivar is a bold one! You won’t be able to distinguish its deep red blooms from red roses, as they give quite a tough competition. Additionally, the flowers appear in clusters at the tips of the branches.
Well well, we can understand that all of these are one on top of the other and it is quite difficult to choose a few among them! So, take your time to know the requirements of each and select accordingly. But before you do anything else, let us know which one is your favorite.
