Adenium
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Adenium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, containing a single species, Adenium obesum, also known as Sabi Star, Kudu or Desert-rose. It is native to tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa and Arabia.
It is an evergreen succulent shrub, growing to 1-3 m in height, with pachycaul stems and a stout, swollen basal caudex. The leaves are spirally arranged, clustered toward the tips of the shoots, simple entire, leathery in texture, 5-15 cm long and 1-8 cm broad. The flowers are tubular, 2-5 cm long, with the outer portion 4-6 cm diameter with five petals, resembling those of other related genera such as Plumeria and Nerium. The flowers tend to red and pink, often with a whitish blush outward of the throat.
Several regional subspecies occur:
- Adenium obesum subsp. boehmianum. Namibia, Angola.
- Adenium obesum subsp. obesum. Arabia.
- Adenium obesum subsp. oleifolium. South Africa, Botswana.
- Adenium obesum subsp. socotranum. Socotra.
- Adenium obesum subsp. somalense. Eastern Africa.
- Adenium obesum subsp. swazicum. Eastern South Africa.
Cultivation and uses
Adenium is a popular houseplant in temperate regions. It requires a sunny location and a minimum indoor temperature in winter of 10 °C. It thrives on a xeric watering regime as required by cacti. Adenium is typically propagated by seed.External links
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