How to care for Desert Rose
Adenium obesum · Apocynaceae
A caudex-forming succulent from arid Africa and Arabia, prized for its swollen sculptural base and flared trumpet flowers in pink, red, or white. It behaves like a sun-hungry bonsai: heat, light, and warm-season water make it flourish, while cold and damp shut it down. All parts contain potent cardiac glycosides, so handle prunings with care. Water roughly every 10 days while it's growing (about every 35 in winter), give it direct sun, kept above 55°F (13°C) — dry air is fine for it.
Care at a glance
In warm bright weather water generously once the soil dries, then keep it nearly dry through its cool-season leafless rest.
It needs your absolute sunniest spot — hours of direct sun daily — or it will sulk, stretch, and refuse to flower.
A dilute bloom-type fertilizer monthly in the warm growing season encourages flowering.
Mistakes that kill this plant
- Watering a cold or leafless plant — soft caudex rot follows quickly.
- Keeping it below about 13 C in winter, especially near a cold window.
- Handling pruning sap carelessly or letting pets chew any part of it.
Seasonal tips
- Let it summer outdoors in full sun and warmth — this is when it grows and blooms.
- When leaves yellow and drop in autumn, cut water to almost nothing until spring.
- Raise the caudex slightly at each repotting for a more dramatic bonsai look.
Is it safe for pets?
We have Desert Rose recorded as toxic to cats and dogs.
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Toxicity here is informational, not a safety guarantee. Those are our own records, compiled by following the ASPCA's published toxic and non-toxic plant lists and Pet Poison Helpline's plant poison list rather than copied from them — confirm anything that matters against the ASPCA's published lists, which this one is matched to, or with your vet. If your pet ingested this plant, contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.