Adenium obesum (Desert rose)

Adenium obesum

"Adenium obesum" is a poisonous species of flowering plant belonging to the tribe Nerieae of the subfamily Apocynoideae of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It is native to the Sahel regions south of the Sahara, tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa and also the Arabian Peninsula.
Blossoming Bottle trees These are also called Cucumber trees. They can be found all over the island. I was there in January so not the flowering season. Got lucky with this specimen - what a difference when there are colourful blossoms! Adenium obesum,Adenium obesum socotranum,Adenium obesum var socotranum,Desert rose,Geotagged,Socotra Desert Rose,Winter,Yemen,arabian,arabian sea,archipelago,bottle tree,indian ocean,socotra,soqotra,suqutra,travel,سُقُطْرَى

Appearance

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It is an evergreen or drought-deciduous succulent shrub. It can grow to 0.12–5 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 be red and pink, often with a whitish blush outward of the throat.
Adenium obesum ssp obesum Adenium obesum,Desert rose,Geotagged,Tanzania,Winter

Naming

* "Adenium obesum" subsp. "oleifolium"
⤷  "Adenium obesum" subsp. "socotranum"
⤷  "Adenium obesum" subsp. "somalense"
⤷  "Adenium obesum" subsp. "swazicum"

Adenium swazicum is a critically endangered African species native to Eswatini and Mozambique, growing up to 0.7 m tall.

Adenium somalense is also native to Africa, inhabiting Tanzania, Kenya, and Somalia, and reaching heights of 5 m, which makes it the largest of these four subspecies.

Adenium socotranum is native exclusively to the island of Socotra, and can grow to be 4.6 m, but despite its small range, it is of least concern regarding endangerment.

Adenium oleifolium is near threatened in the wild and is the smallest of these subspecies, growing at the tallest to 0.4 m.
Adenium somalense Adenium obesum,Adenium somalense,Desert rose,Geotagged,Tanzania,Winter

Habitat

Caterpillars of the polka-dot wasp moth are known to feed on the desert rose, along with feeding on oleanders.

In areas with year-round warm weather, they can bloom throughout the year.
Bottle Tree with snail necklace I just returned from Socotra island. This is one of the first photos I edited, with many more to come. I love how these little snails created almost full cover of this little bottle tree. If someone can identify the snails, I would greatly appreciate it! Adenium obesum,Adenium obesum (Desert rose),Bottle tree,Geotagged,Indian ocean,Socotra,Yemen

Uses

"Adenium obesum" produces a sap in its roots and stems that contains cardiac glycosides. This sap is used as arrow poison for hunting large game throughout much of Africa and as a fish toxin.
Adenium obesum ssp obesum Adenium obesum,Desert rose,Geotagged,Tanzania,Winter

Cultural

The species has been depicted on postage stamps issued by various countries.

References:

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