Adenium multiflorum in pot

Credit: William Ruff

Adenium multiflorum in the ground

Credit: Justin Ponder

Green leaves with cream veins Adenium multiflorum

Credit: Kyle Campbell

Two-tone pink and white flowers Adenium multiflorum

Credit: Karen Eichholz

Two-tone red and white flowers Adenium mulfiflorum

Credit: Flowcomm

Adenium multiflorum, the other desert rose

Adenium multiflorum is a variety of desert rose found only in East Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. And to bonsai and succulent enthusiasts the world over! In fact, this member of the Apocynaceae family is much sought-after for its delicate flowers and unusual silhouette.

How to recognize the desert rose, Adenium multiflorum?

A semi-succulent shrub with an upright, bushy habit, Adenium multiflorum grows to no more than three meters in height in the wild. It grows even more modestly in pots or indoors, reaching a metre at best.

At the top, the grey-barked trunk is crowned with twisted branches. At the base, it forms a caudex, a bulge that enables it to store water during periods of drought.

The sessile leaves are fleshy and oval. The bright green upper surface is criss-crossed by prominent white veins, while the underside is a dull pale green. The foliage is deciduous: the leaf blades fall off in winter and reappear in summer.

In the wild, it flowers in early spring, even before the leaves have grown back. While the flowers of adenium obesumobesum are trumpet-shaped, those of Adenium multiflorum are star-shaped. The five petals have wavy margins and pointed lobes. Dark red at the tips, they have a white or pink center.

The fruit consists of two cylindrical follicles up to 20 centimetres long. The brown seeds are covered with a brown down.

Adenium multiflorum is a toxic plant. Its sap contains alkaloids, a substance highly harmful to humans and animals. In the past, hunters used to dip arrowheads in it to kill jackals. So keep your desert rose out of the reach of pets and young children.

Our maintenance tips

You can propagate your Adenium multiflorum by sowing or cutting. Sowing produces a plant identical to the mother plant. With cuttings, your new specimen will not develop a caudex.

Watering

Check that the substrate is dry to the depth of five centimeters before watering. If your plant is thirsty, water with cold or lukewarm water. It's best to use rainwater to provide nutrients. If you don't have any, use mains water.

Empty any stagnant water from the dish to prevent root rot.

Spray

Your adenium multiflorum hates wet foliage. You must not mist the plant.

Repotting

Every spring, repot your Adenium multiflorum to give it more space.

Get a pot with holes larger than the root ball of your Adenium multiflorum.

Adenium multiflorum appreciate a light, draining substrate. You can plant your specimen in potting soil for cacti and succulents. You can also make your own growing medium by mixing equal parts potting soil and a draining material such as sand, perlite or pozzolan.

Place a layer of substrate at the bottom of the pot. Plant your Adenium multiflorum in the center. Then add potting soil. In young plants, the caudex grows better when buried. If your plant is less than four years old, bury two-thirds of it. If it's older, you can leave it on the surface.

Water generously to facilitate rooting.

Fertilization

To promote the growth of your Adenium multiflorum, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.

Use a cactus and succulent or Mediterranean plant fertilizer to encourage the growth of your Adenium multiflorum.

Prune

Remove wilted flowers as and when they appear, to encourage the emergence of new inflorescences.

Seedling

Prepare a light, draining substrate, for example 50% potting soil for cacti and succulents, 25% pozzolana and 25% sand. Pour your mixture into plastic cups.

Plant your seeds, covering them with two to three centimetres of substrate. You can put several seeds in the same pot.

Sowing is done in the air. Place your pots in a mini-greenhouse or cover them with a bottle or translucent plastic bag.

Mist the substrate regularly to keep it moist. Don't forget to air the pots a few minutes a day.

Cutting

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Locate a healthy, flowerless branch. Cut a section with several leaves about 10 centimetres long. Use a clean, sharp tool to facilitate healing.

Leave your cutting to dry for 24 to 72 hours, until a callus forms.

Obtain a pierced terracotta pot. This material promotes uniform drying of the substrate and reduces the risk of root rot. Pour a bed of clay balls or gravel in the bottom. If the hole is too large and the marbles escape, fill it with a pebble.

For the substrate, prepare a mixture of one-third soil, one-third potting compost and one-third sand. Line the pot with it. Plant your cutting in the center and press down.

Place your succulent in a room where the temperature doesn't fall below 18 degrees. Find a bright spot away from direct sunlight, behind a curtain for example.

Diseases / Threats

Aphids

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Apocynaceae - Apocynaceae
Type	Desert rose - Adenium
Species	Adenium multiflorum - Adenium multiflorum
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Deciduous
Exposure	Sun
Substrats	Calcareous earth Humus soil Sandy soil
Planting methods	In pots In tubs Bucket
Categories	Shrub Interior Flowery Succulent
Tags	Flowery Fritillary Toxic
Origin	South Africa
Hardiness (USDA)	12b
Leaf color
Flower colors