''Adenium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

first described as a genus in 1819. It is native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

Cultivation and uses

Adenium obesum ''Adenium obesum'', more commonly known as a desert rose, is a poisonous species of flowering plant belonging to the tribe Nerieae of the subfamily Apocynoideae of the Apocynum, dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It is native plant, native to the Sahe ...

'' is grown as a

houseplant A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

in temperate and tropical regions. Numerous hybrids have been developed. Adeniums are appreciated for their colorful flowers and unusual thick

caudices A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is most o ...

. They can be grown for many years in a pot and are commonly used for

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

Because seed-grown

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s are not genetically identical to the mother plant, desirable varieties are commonly propagated by

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticulture, horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the roots ...

. Genetically identical plants can also be propagated by

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...

. Cutting-grown plants do not tend to develop a desirable thick caudex as quickly as seed-grown plants. The sap of ''

Adenium boehmianum ''Adenium boehmianum'', the Bushman poison, is a poisonous succulent endemic to the mostly dry regions of northern Namibia and southern Angola. The San people boil the root sap and latex to prepare arrow poison Arrow poisons are used to poison ...

'', '' A. multiflorum'', and '' A. obesum'' contains toxic

cardiac glycoside Cardiac glycosides are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump. Their beneficial medical uses include treatments for ...

s and is used as

arrow poison Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons se ...

throughout Africa for hunting large game.

Classification

The genus ''Adenium'' has been held to contain as many as twelve species. These are considered by other authors to be subspecies or

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. A late-20th-century classification by Plazier recognizes five species. ;Species # ''

Adenium arabicum ''Adenium arabicum'' is a species of succulent plant commonly used for bonsai and cultivated for its shiny leaves, growth form and flowering characteristics. Common names include desert rose, elephant's foot, and Adanah bush. They are monoecious ...

Balf.f. Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, KBE, FRS, FRSE (31 March 1853 – 30 November 1922) was a Scottish botanist. He was Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow from 1879 to 1885, Sherardian Professor of Botany at the University of Oxfor ...

= ''

'' # ''

'' Schinz - (

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

) # ''

Adenium multiflorum ''Adenium multiflorum'' is small, succulent tree native to central and eastern Southern Africa. It may be deciduous or evergreen, and is found in dry woods or grassland in its native habitat. It is typically 0.5–3 m tall. Like other succulent ...

'' Klotzsch. (Southern Africa, from

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

south) # ''

'' ( Forssk.)

Roem. Johann Jacob Roemer (8 January 1763, Zürich – 15 January 1819) was a Swiss physician and professor of botany in Zürich, Switzerland. He was also an entomologist. With Austrian botanist Joseph August Schultes, he published the 16th edition of ...

& Schult. - widespread from Senegal to Somalia, and also Arabian Peninsula # ''

Adenium oleifolium ''Adenium oleifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. Distribution The native range of this species is Southern Africa, including Botswana, Cape Provinces, Namibia and Northern Provinces. It's a semisucculent subshru ...

'' Stapf - South Africa, Botswana, Namibia # ''

Adenium swazicum ''Adenium swazicum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is a semisucculent shrub native to the lowveld of Eswatini, Mpumalanga province of South Africa, and southern Mozambique. Desert_Rose_Adenium

;Formerly placed here *'' Pachypodium namaquanum'' (Wyley ex Harv.) Welw. (as ''A. namaquanum'' Wyley ex Harv.)

Common names

'' is also known as the desert rose. In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, due to its resemblance to the related genus ''

Plumeria ''Plumeria'' (), also known as frangipani, is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species are native to the Neotropical realm (in Mexico, ...

'', and the fact that it was introduced to the Philippines from Bangkok,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, the plant is also called as ''Bangkok kalachuchi''. Due to its resemblance to a miniature

frangipani ''Plumeria'' (), also known as frangipani, is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species are native to the Neotropical realm (in Mexico, ...

tree and its popularity in bonsai, it is also sometimes known as Japanese frangipani.

References

{{Authority control Apocynaceae genera Plants used in bonsai Caudiciform plants