Desert rose, or adenium, is a deciduous plant of East African origin with thick stems and bright flowers. It belongs to the Kutrovye family (Apocynaceae). At home, the leaves can remain on the plant all year round if there is enough heat and light. It is noteworthy that Adenium is often confused with another species whose habitat is Egypt. The desert rose, as this annual herb of the Cabbage family is called, is actually a species of Anastatica hierochuntica, and has nothing to do with the Kutrovye family. Look at the photo - the desert rose is really a very beautiful and unusual creation of nature.
Morphology
On adult specimens, the stem, or caudex, becomes swollen, thick, often bizarre in shape. This gives the adenium an unusual and amazing look. The leaves are usually bright green. During the dry season, the desert rose is covered with bright flowers. The size of adenium can reach 5 meters, but there are also varieties that need a small bowl in an apartment. Currently, a large number of desert rose hybrids have been bred. They are characterized by a wide variety of flower colors - from traditional red to striped and orange. It should be noted that adeniumpoisonous, children and pets should not come into contact with it. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling the plant.
Varieties
The desert rose is represented by a huge variety of subspecies. Let's get acquainted with the most common of them. Adenium swazicum is one of the hardiest varieties of desert rose. It is characterized by small size and adaptability to existence in a city apartment.
Adenium arabicum (Adenium arabicum) is used as a garden plant, has a thick and powerful squat trunk. The leaves of the Arabian adenium are fleshy and dense, very similar to the leaves of succulents. Interestingly, the color of his caudex is very diverse, it can have purple and pink spots.
Adenium somalense (Adenium somalense). This species is characterized by large size and a powerful, extended base of the trunk. For the first year and a half, it grows very quickly, reaching one and a half meters in height during this time. The ambient temperature when growing Somali adenium should not fall below 12 °C.
The most popular among florists and lovers of the desert rose was Adenium monkey (Adenium obesum). Other species names are Adenium obese, Adenium thick. It is characterized by a wide variety of leaf and caudex shapes, as well as flower colors. Breeders successfully use this and create more and more hybrids of Adenium obesum.
Growing conditions
Most auspiciousTropics and subtropics are considered areas for growing and breeding adenium. Outside of these belts, the flower requires special care. Constant warmth is the main condition that the desert rose needs. The plant is very demanding on lighting. The ideal location in the apartment is by the window facing south. This will ensure that the leaves of the rose are constantly exposed to direct sunlight. The plant should be watered rarely. In winter, reduce the flow of water, but at the same time do not overdry the soil, keep it sufficiently moist. The soil for planting roses should have drainage and be slightly acidic. When buying a mixture for your future rose, choose the soil for succulents and cacti. Fertilize the adenium every summer. In order for the desert rose to grow into a more interesting and bizarre shape, use one secret. Remove the top part of the plant's root system from the soil, leaving a little more than half of them in the ground. Thus, the roots will be slightly open, and as a result of growth, along with the trunk, they will begin to form an interesting shape.
Reproduction
The desert rose is a plant that propagates, as a rule, by seeds. They ripen in pods. Germination can be accelerated by spraying and periodically heating the pot from below. After a week, the first shoots will appear, and after a month, when several true leaves form on the seedlings, you can start transplanting. The desert rose is also propagated by cuttings, but specimens grown in this way may not have suchthick and powerful tuberous stems, as when grown from seed. Pinch off a 7-10 cm long shoot from the stem and dip it into a solution with fungicides and hormones, for example, into the Epin solution. Then plant the cutting in a small pot filled with a slightly moistened mixture of perlite and peat in a ratio of 1:3.
Transfer
A small pot is usually enough for a young plant. But as it grows, adenium needs to be transplanted into a more spacious container. It is necessary to carry out this procedure only in the warm season. First, make sure the soil is dry, then carefully remove the adenium from the pot. Remove old dead roots and any rot. Treat cuts formed during the transplantation with solutions - fungicidal and antibacterial. Place the rose in a new pot and fill it with soil. Refrain from watering for about a week to prevent root rot, as adenium is very susceptible to this disease. Also, be careful not to damage parts of the plant.
Desert rose in your garden
If you want to decorate your garden or yard with adenium, try to find the most sunny place for this. The desert rose, planted in partial shade, has elongated, thin, oblong stems and is more susceptible to disease. The soil in the area intended for planting should not be too wet or prone to flooding. If there is no place in your garden with dry soil, then make a moundat least 20 cm above the main soil. It is also important that the desert rose grows out of reach of automatic watering and spraying systems. Together with this species, you can plant a variety of heat-loving ground cover plants. It is important to know the optimal composition of the soil mixture, which is ideal for planting adenium in open ground. Cooking it yourself is not difficult.
This mixture includes:
- peat - 2 parts;
- coconut fiber - 2 parts;
- sand - 2 parts;
- perlite - 1 part.
For the first couple of years, the desert rose grows very fast. At this time, it is important and necessary to supply the soil with organic and mineral nutrients. Later, the growth rate slows down, and this is normal. In spring and summer, liquid fertilizer should be applied every two weeks. And during the autumn, the intensity of fertilization needs to be reduced.
Get this wonderful flower. A desert rose can brighten up a room or spice up the look of your garden.
