Superior Cultivars of Adenium "arabicum " 'Carol Ann' (MAD-978) 'Shada Tree' 'MAD 956' Fat Guys Soodah Dwarf 'MAD 988' 'Hansoti Dwarf' 'Yemeni Giant' 'MAD 1004' 'Ram Gandhi' 'MAD 953' 'MAD 1083' 'Sheila Collenette' 'Carol Ann' (MAD978) Parentage: Adenium "arabicum", self-set seed from 'Yemeni Giant' Creator: Mark Dimmitt selection, sown 2009. Plant form: A spreading shrub with a massive squat caudex. Mother plant at left is 3 feet tall x 4 feet wide at 13 years old. It's about half the size of its seed parent, but larger than dwarf "arabicum" clones. Potentially evergreen; does not require a dry winter rest. Flower: Round to semi-star shaped, 73 mm in diameter x 31 mm petal width, wide dark pink to almost red petal edge, fading to near white at throat. Yellow throat with prominent nectar guides. The plant tends to flower repeatedly throughout the year if grown warm. Notes: The most prominent trait is its indeterminate inflorescences . The flower count can well surpass 50, so a single inflorescence can be in bloom for two months or more. Named in memory of John Bliznak's mother. Back to Menu Flower of Adenium "arabicum " 'Carol Ann'. During the summer peak bloom, 'Carol Ann' inflorescences can produce more than 50 flowers over a period of two to three months. Above: An unnamed, fairly typical clone of the Fat Guys strain: a compact shrub with big caudex and small pink flowers. (This caudex is smaller than average.) Most clones bloom only in spring. Photo: Gene Joseph. Fat Guys strain Parentage: Adenium "arabicum " 'Ram Gandhi' x 'Hansoti Dwarf' Creator: Mark Dimmitt cross 2009. Plant form: Medium-sized, spreading shrubs with relatively large squat caudexes. Their size is closer to the dwarf pollen parent than the large seed parent. All clones seem not to require a dry winter rest. Flowers: Almost all clones have pink petals that fade to near white at throat. A few have petals that are red on the outer half, fading to dark pink at the throats. Throats and nectar guides variable. Most bloom only in spring. See individual cv. descriptions for flower sizes. Notes: This is not a single cultivar, but a strain (grex) consisting of all the offspring from these two parents. Some clones within this group have been given cv. names, e.g., 'Fat Guy MAD670'. Their popularity stems from their consistently compact size with fat caudexes and good vigor. A few are also good bloomers. Back to Menu Left: Plant and flower of 'Fat Guy MAD670'. The plant is about 2 x 2 feet at 10 years old. Flower: Semi-star, 58 mm diameter x 25 mm petal width; Outer half of petals medium red, fading to pink at throat. (Red "arabicum" flowers are quite rare.) Throat yellowish with few nectar guides. Unlike most Fat Guys, this clone flowers profusely in spring and sporadically all year. Right: Plant, flower, and caudex of 'Fat Guy MAD671'. The plant is about 3 x 2 feet at 10 years old. The caudex in the closeup is 12 years old; the ruler is 12 inches/30 cm. Flower: Round, 53 mm diameter x 21 mm petal width; Outer half of petals medium red, fading to pink at throat. (Red "arabicum" flowers are quite rare.) Throat yellowish with prominent nectar guides. Unlike most Fat Guys, this clone flowers profusely in spring and sporadically all year. Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ", wild collection. Origin: The original plant has been grown in India since at least the 1930s. Probably collected on the Aden Peninsula of Yemen (Dimmitt & Edwards 2021). Plant form: A small spreading shrub with a relatively massive caudex. Deciduous; seems to require a dry winter rest. Slow growing. Flower: Round; 65 mm diameter x 26 mm petal width, dark pink to light red depending on temperature(?), fading to pink at throat. Throat yellowish with light red nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring while leafless. Self fertile; most seedlings strongly resemble the parent. Notes: Named for the original plant's present owner, Ashish Hansoti. This is one parent of the Fat Guys strain, a uniform grex of dwarf plants with big caudexes. Jabal Shamsan on the Aden Peninsula is the type locality for A. "arabicum" 'Hansoti Dwarf' (MAD179) Adenium "arabicum " 'Hansoti Dwarf', 15 year old cutting in 18-inch bonsai pot. Back to Menu Flowers of Adenium "arabicum " 'Hansoti Dwarf'. Flowers are darker in cooler weather & when plant is dry. 'Ram Gandhi' (MAD262) Parentage: Adenium "arabicum " Origin: A Dimmitt selection of the most vigorous plant from a batch of seeds obtained from Dr. Ram Gandhi in 1999. Plant form: A very large spreading shrub with a squat caudex and several greatly swollen main branches. Semi deciduous in winter. Flower: Semi-star; 78 mm diameter x 25 mm petal width, petals dark pink outer half, fading to near-white at throat. Throat yellow with prominent red nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring and usually has a few flowers year round. Self fertile; most seedlings grow vigorously into large plants. Notes: This is one parent of the Fat Guys strain, a uniform grex of dwarf plants with big caudexes. Above: Flower of Adenium "arabicum " 'Ram Gandhi'. Right: Adenium "arabicum " 'Ram Gandhi at 20 years.The ruler is 12 inches/30 cm. Adenium "arabicum " 'Ram Gandhi', 20 year old seedling in 42 inch pot. The peak spring bloom last about two months. Notice the cauliflory, which is fairly common in A. "arabicum ". Back To Menu Above: Adenium "arabicum " 'Ram Gandhi', 9 years old in an 18 inch inch pot. Below: Same plant at 24 years old in a 42-inch pot. 'Shada Tree' (MAD973) Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ". Origin: A typical example of the arborescent form of the species. Second generation seed from Jabal Shada, Saudi Arabia; produced by C&J Nursery. The original seed was collected by Sheila Collenette, the renowned 20th century plant explorer. Plant form: A tree to at least 10 feet tall with a conical trunk/caudex to at least 4 feet tall. Flower: Small and star-shaped, 60 mm diameter; petal width 25 mm. Petals light pink with narrow dark pink edge. Throat pale white to yellowish with prominent red nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring and usually has a few flowers year round. Notes: Back To Menu Flower of 'Shada Tree #973'. Adenium "arabicum" 'Shada Tree #973'. The plant shown above is 9 feet tall in an 18 -inch pot at 14 years from seed (left) and 15 years. Photo above right: Peter L. Kresan. Left: Closeup of the trunk/caudex of 'Shada Tree #973' at 14 years old. The ruler is 12 inches/30 cm. Above two images: Adenium "arabicum" 'Sheila Collenette' planted in the ground in a glass greenhouse with no climate controls. Left: the plant at 9 years old; right: 24 years old . The scars on the older plant are frost damage from 11 degrees F (-12 C) that occurred 8 years earlier. This species is quite hardy if the soil is dry. It's surrounded by Stapelia gigantea . 'Sheila Collenette' Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ". Origin: Seed from Jabal Shada, Saudi Arabia. Collected by Sheila Collenette, the renowned 20th century plant explorer. Plant form: A spreading shrub to 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide with a massive caudex and swollen main branches. Flower: Small and star-shaped, 45 mm diameter; petal width 12 mm. Petals light pink with narrow dark pink edge. Throat pale white to yellowish with prominent red nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring. Notes: Jabal Shada is a large mountain that has both shrubby and arborescent adeniums, as well as frost-pruned dwarfs at high elevation. Back to Menu Soodah Dwarf strain Three images above and left: Adenium "arabicum" 'Soodah Dwarf MAD483'. Flowers star-shaped, 50 mm diameter x 13 mm petal width; yellow throat with no nectar guides. High flower count (indeterminate, 50+ per inflorescence). Blooms repeatedly throughout the year, including winter if kept warm. Tends to be evergreen. Plant at upper left is 7 years old; left is15 years.. Ruler is 12 inches/30 cm. Parentage: A. "arabicum " Origin: Descendants of seeds from a dwarf plant on Jabal Soodah, Raidah Escarpment near Abha, Saudi Arabia, near the headwaters of Wadi Muraba. Seeds were collected from a single plant by Tom McCoy . This strain consists of the offspring from 4 plants selected from 14 original plants grown from wild seeds. Plant form: Consistently small, spreading, profusely branching shrubs with large, squat caudexes. Most clones are evergreen. Flowers: Small and pink; petals fade to near white at throat. Some clones have high flower counts (at least 10 per inflorescence). Throats yellow; no nectar guides. They bloom profusely in spring, and sporadically throughout the warm months. See individual cv. descriptions for flower details. Notes: This is not a single cultivar, but a strain (grex) consisting of all the offspring from 4 selected seedlings. Interestingly, there were "normal" sized plants on the same hill, but the dozens of seedlings from the dwarf plant grown by various people were all dwarf. A few clones have been given cv. names. Back to Menu Above 3 images: Adenium "arabicum" 'Soodah Dwarf MAD484'. Flowers star-shaped, 42 mm diameter x 11 mm petal width; yellow throat with no nectar guides. High flower count (15-20 per inflorescence). Blooms repeatedly throughout the year, including winter if kept warm. Tends to be evergreen. Plant at left is 4 years old in an 8 inch pot. Above: Adenium "arabicum" 'Soodah Dwarf MAD530'. Flowers semi-star-shaped, 48 mm diameter x 16 mm petal width; yellow throat with no nectar guides. High flower count (about 10 per inflorescence). Blooms repeatedly throughout the year, including winter if kept warm. Tends to be evergreen. Plant at left is 8 years old; right is14 years. Ruler is 12 inches/30 cm. Adenium "arabicum " 'Yemeni Giant', the original seedling at 10 years old, six feet high in a 42" pot. Flowers of 'Yemeni Giant' 'Yemeni Giant' [MAD186] Parentage: Adenium "arabicum" Origin: One of numerous seedlings grown by Chuck Hanson ca. 1998; selected and named by Dimmitt. The seeds were from Frank Horwood's large-flowered clone collected in Yemen. Plant form: A vigorous, freely branching shrub with a massive caudex and lower branches. Larger plants are almost evergreen. Flower: Round, 65 mm diameter x 28 mm petal width; petals white to pale pink with an indistinct light pink border. Throat yellow with prominent red nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring, with a few flowers throughout the rest of the year. Notes: Adenium "arabicum " 'Yemeni Giant', a six year old cutting in a 12" pot. It's a myth that adenium cuttings don't form caudexes. They will IF the mother plant is caudiciform. Flowers of 'Yemeni Giant' Back to Menu 'MAD 953' Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ", selfing of 'Hansoti Dwarf'. Creator: Dimmitt, 2010. Plant form: This unnamed clone is a compact shrub, taller than wide, with a short-conical caudex. Plant shown is about 2 feet tall x 1.5 feet wide at 11 years old. Performs better with a dry winter rest. Flower: Round, 60 mm diameter x 23 mm petal width. Petals bright red with little fading toward throat. Throat yellow with faint nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring. Notes: Almost all A. "arabicum" have pink flowers. 'Hansoti Dwarf' has darker pink to light red flowers. I have obtained about a half-dozen good reds out of a few hundred seedlings grown. The color is not stable; it tends to be more pink in hot weather (>100 F/38 C). Back to Menu 'MAD965' Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ", 'Hansoti Dwarf' x 'Petch Ban Na'. Creator: Dimmitt, 2010. Plant form: This unnamed clone is a compact erect shrub, taller than wide, with a large squat caudex. Plant shown is about 2 feet tall x 1.5 feet wide at 10 years old. Performs better with a dry winter rest. Flower: Round to almost circular, 65 mm diameter x 34 mm petal width. Petals pale pink with a narrow bright pink edge. Throat yellowish with no nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring. Notes: Back to Menu 'MAD988' Parentage: A. "arabicum ", second generation selfing of 'Hansoti Dwarf'. Creator: Dimmitt, 2009. Plant form: A compact, many-branched shrub with a relatively huge globular caudex. Plant shown is 12 years from seed, about 1.5 feet tall and wide in a 14-inch pot. Flower: Round, 46 mm diameter x 21 mm petal width. Petals medium red, fading slightly near base; throat white with prominent nectar guides. Flowers massively in spring. Notes: This clone closely resembles the "Thai socos" of Asia, but it is a descendant of an old wild-collected plant. Back to Menu 'MAD1004' Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ", 'Hansoti Dwarf' x self. Creator: Dimmitt, 2013. Plant form: This unnamed clone is a compact erect shrub, taller than wide, with a large short-conical caudex. Plant shown is about 2 feet tall x 1.5 feet wide at 6 years old. Performs better with a dry winter rest. Flower: Round, 60 mm diameter x 28 mm petal width. Petals deep red with with almost no fading toward throat. Throat white with faing nectar guides. Blooms in spring. Notes: Almost all A. "arabicum" have pink flowers. 'Hansoti Dwarf' has darker pink to light red flowers. I have obtained about a half-dozen good reds out of a few hundred seedlings grown. The color is not stable; it tends to be more pink in hot weather (>100 F/38 C). Back to Menu 'MAD1083' Parentage: Adenium "arabicum ", 'Hansoti Dwarf' x 'Petch Ban Na'. Creator: Dimmitt, 2010. Plant form: This unnamed clone is a compact erect shrub with a large short-conical caudex. Plant shown is about 2 feet tall and wide at 11 years old. Performs better with a dry winter rest. Flower: Round, 60 mm diameter x 27 mm petal width. Petals medium pink edge, fading to near-white inner half. Throat yellow with prominent red nectar guides. Blooms profusely in spring. Notes: Back to Menu

Gallery of Superior Cultivars Intraspecific Cultivars "arabicum" boehmianum crispum dhofarense multiflorum "obesum" oleifolium socotranum somalense swazicum Interspecific Hybrid Cultivars "obesum" x swazicum crispum x "obesum" "arabicum" x "obesum" "arabicum" x "obesum" x crispum Rare Crosses Double Flowered Cultivars

Superior Cultivars of Adenium crispum x "obesum" Back to Gallery See the hybrid page for the general characteristics of this hybrid group. Adenium crispum x "obesum" hybrids are renowned primarily by their boldly blotched and striped flowers. There are already thousands of named cultivars in this group, and adenium breeders are creating many more every year. For this reason, most of the cultivars that are more than a few years old are already obsolete and probably no longer on the market. Keeping up is impossible. This is generally true of adeniums, but especially so for crispum-obesum hybrids. The goal of this gallery is to present a selection of the vast variety of flowers, many of which arrived and vanished without ever being given names. 'City' 'Harry Potter' 'OMG!' 'Strawberry Sundae' 'Classical' 'Lily' 'Peppermint' 'Taiwan Sparks' 'Dexter' 'Little Red Berry' 'Red Laser' 'Twinkling Moonlight' 'Happy Princess' 'Neptune' 'Starfish 'Grenadine Splash' 'City' Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum " complex hybrid. Creator: Unknown, Taiwan before 2008 Plant form: Small, typical for the hybrid. Flower: Pale pink with bold red lines; like a flat-petaled crispum. Back to Menu 'Classical' Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum " complex hybrid. Creator: H.C. Chen, Taiwan before 2008 Plant form: Small, typical for cross. Flower: One of the boldest early hybrids, because the strong streaks are confined to the center of the petals, leaving a wide pale pink border. Back to Menu 'Dexter' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid: ( 'Garden Party' x 'Peppermint' ). Creator: Dimmitt 2011 Plant form: Compact and unusually upright for the cross. Slow growing. Flower: Round, 63 mm diameter, 24 mm petal width. Petals white with large red center blotch and numerous red splatters. Back to Menu Left: Adenium 'Dexter', 9-year-old seedling in a 12-inch pot. 'Grenadine Splash' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid Origin: Seedling from Taiwan, selected by Dimmitt, 2008 Plant form: Sturdy branching shrub to about 3 feet tall and wide in 10 years. Small caudex. Flower: Nearly circular, large, 74 mm diameter x 36 mm petal width. Petals light red, heavily blotched and streaked with dark red; throat white. Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: Tan Wei Lee, Taiwan, before 2008 Plant form: Medium-sized, spreading shrub; deciduous. Known only as grafted plants. Flower: Small, round, 40 mm diameter, 16 mm petal width. Petals light purple with dense overlay of red streaks except on margins. Throat yellow with prominent nectar guides. The flowers look much like those of crispum except that the petals are broad and flat, not quilled. Blooms profusely throughout warm months. Notes: This plant looks like A. crispum on steroids - several times larger than the species. It's also much less delicate than the species, at least when grafted. 'Happy Princess' Above left: Adenium 'Happy Princess', 2 -year-old graft in a 6-inch pot. Left: Same plant at 4 years old in a 12-inch pot. Back to Menu 'Harry Potter' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: C.F Chang, Taiwan, 2003 Plant form: Medium-sized, spreading shrub. Known only as grafted plants. Flower: Round, 78 mm diameter, 30 mm petal width. Petals white with wide central red stripe and some red streaks. Throat white with prominent nectar guides. Blooms well two or three times a year. Notes: This was the first crispum-"obesum " hybrid with fairly flat petals and bold markings. The nectar guides have become blotchy stripes. Back to Menu 'Lily' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: C.F. Chang, Taiwan, before 2008 Plant form: Large for this hybrid group; spreading shrub with weak stems. Nearly evergreen. Known only on grafts. Flower: Large, round, 90 mm diameter x 32 mm petal width. Petals wihte with central red blotch and a few spots. Throat yellow with no nectar guides. Flowers profusely two or three times a year. Notes: Another superb early hybrid by master hybridizer C.F. Chang. Adenium 'Lily', 6-year-old graft in a 16-inch pot. Adenium 'Lily', a new flower (above) and a week-old flower (right). Back to Menu Adenium 'Little Red Berry', 5-year-old graft, 4 feet tall in a 14-inch pot. 'Little Red Berry' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: Ashish Hansoti, Tropica Nursery, before 2008. Plant form: Large shrub for this hybrid group, vigorous, erect, tall and narrow form. Can attain 4 feet tall in 5 years. Flower: Small, star-shaped, 52 mm diameter x 12 mm petal width. Petals intense velvety-red with very narrow white edge and almost no fading toward throat. Throat red upper half, white lower with blackish nectar guides. Prolific bloomer. Semi-deciduous. Notes: Adenium 'Little Red Berry' bears highly saturated flowers. It also has a high flower count (more than 10 per inflorescence), right above. Back to Menu 'Neptune' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: Unknown, Taiwan before 2008 Plant form: Large and sturdy for this hybrid type; spreading shrub growing to 4 feet tall and wide in 10 years. Grown only on grafts. Evergreen. Flower: Round, 79 mm diameter x 34 mm petal width. Petals white with broad bright red margin and red central stripe and large white base. throat white with no nectar guides. Blooms almost year round. Notes: Another superb crispum-obesum hybrid, more robust than the great majority of cultivars. Above left: A 6-year-old grafted adenium 'Neptune' in a 14-inch pot. Above right: About 7 years old, grafted onto 'Arabian Ruby' rootstock in a 17-inch box. Back to Menu 'OMG!' Parentage: Complex Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " hybrid (MAD588 x 'Hansoti Pink') Creator: Dimmitt, 2013 Plant form: Small, erect shrub (usually taller than wide) with fairly sturdy stems. The original seedling is slow-growing and has almost no caudex. Grafted plants are vigorous; they need pruning to encourage branching. Evergreen and active except for a short winter rest. Flower: Circular, 63 mm diameter x 35 mm petal width. Petals white, almost completely obscured by a wide lavender margin and a large red central blotch that breaks into numerous purple streaks that extend nearly to the edges. Throat white with very prominent nectar guides. Blooms repeatedly almost year round except for midwinter. Notes: Back to Menu Above: 'OMG'. Above: The parents of 'OMG!'. Left: MAD588; right: 'Hansoti Pink'. 'OMG!' is a rare combination of the best of both parents plus a better shape than either. 'Peppermint' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: Unknown, Taiwan, before 2008 Plant form: Small compact spreading shrub. Known only as grafted plants. Flower: Round but with pointed tips, 60 mm diameter x 26 mm petal width. Petals white with large red center blotch and some red dots. Throat yellow with faint nectar guides. Blooms in two or three big flushes during the warm months. Notes: A beautiful little plant that grows to about two feet tall and wide in 10 years. Back to Menu Above: A 4-year-old grafted adenium 'Peppermint' in an 8-inch pot. Red Laser Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: Unknown; seedling purchased in Taiwan in 2008. Selected and named by Dimmitt. Plant form: Erect shrub, taller than wide, with noticeable caudex. Semi-evergreen but has distinct winter dormancy. Flower: Large, round, 82 mm diameter x 34 mm petal width. Petals white with narrow red center stripe and a few red dots. Throat yellow with no nectar guides. Blooms several times a year. Notes: This cv. unusually large for this hybrid, growing to 4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide in 10 years. It's completely sterile; won't cross with any other adenium. Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Red Laser', 6 years old in a 12-inch pot. Right: The original seedling of adenium 'Red Laser', 12 years old in a 14-inch pot. It has a decent caudex. Back to Menu Starfish Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: R.J. Lieng, Taiwan, before 2008. Plant form: Medium-sized spreading shrub with fairly sturdy branches. Known only as grafted plants. Evergreen but dormant in winter. Flower: Star-shaped, 85 mm diameter x 21 mm petal width. Petals blush pink with narrow pink edges and a bold ragged-edged red midstripe. Throat red with no nectar guides. Blooms profusely at least twice a year. Notes: Back to Menu Above: Two-year-old grafted 'Starfish' in an 8-inch pot. 'Strawberry Sundae' (= MAD564 & MAD668) Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrids. MAD564 = A. "obesum" 'Daeng Siam' x 'Peppermint' MAD668 - A. 'Beauty Baby' x 'MAD487' Creator: Dimmitt 2009 & 2010 Plant form: Both clones fairly large spreading shrubs with fairly sturdy branches, small caudexes, and large roots. Tend to be evergreen. Flower: Both clones round, large, 80-85 mm diameter x 30 mm petal width. Petals white with wide bright red border and central red blotches and streaks. Throats yellow with very faint nectar guides. Bloom profusely two or three times a year. Notes: These two clones have unrelated parents but are nearly indistinguishable, so have been given the same cv. name. Back to Menu Above left: 'Strawberry Sundae' #564. Above left: 'Strawberry Sundae' #668. 'Taiwan Sparks' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: Seedling purchased in Taiwan in 2008; selected and named by Dimmitt. Plant form: A vigorous, medium-sized shrub with fairly sturdy branches. Known only as grafted plants. Evergreen. Flower: Round, 74 mm diameter x 35 mm petal width. Petals white at the base, but otherwise almost obscured by light red margins, a red blotch at the tips (varies from small to large with weather), and many red lines. Throat yellow with prominent nectar guides. Blooms massively at least twice a year. Notes: This seedling stood out among hundreds of thousands of plants at one of the nurseries that covered hectares of land. Above: 'Taiwan Sparks' in full bloom. Above: 'Taiwan Sparks' grafted onto a 2-foot tall 'Arabian Ruby' rootstock about 6 years earlier. Back to Menu Above three images: Flowers of 'Taiwan Sparks' at different ages and seasons. All beautiful! 'Twinkling Moonlight' Parentage: Ade nium crispum x "obe sum " complex hybrid. Creator: C.F. Chang, Taiwan, before 2008. Plant form: A small, slow-growing shrub with fairly sturdy branches. Known only as grafted plants. Evergreen. Flower: Small, round, 60 mm diameter x 27 mm petal width. Outer 3/4 of petals bright red, raggedly merging to white bases. Throat white with no nectar guides. Blooms massively at least twice a year. Notes: Back to Menu Above two images: 'Twinkling Moonlight' two-year-old graft (left); an older multiple graft onto a large rootstock in a Taiwan nursery. Above two images: 'Twinkling Moonlight' flowers, new (left), and week-old (right). A gallery of (mostly) vanished beauties

Plant Sales This page features rare species and cultivars that will occasionally be available (continental USA only) at sascactus.com . There are two groups of offerings: 1. Superior adenium cultivars that perform well in hot summer/cool winter desert and semiarid climates; most were bred in Tucson, Arizona. The list includes cuttings and grafts of my own best hybrids as well as some created by others that I think are special. Some are clones of outstanding wild-collected plants, and a few that have historical value. The propagules offered range from small cuttings and grafts up to larger groomed specimens. Most of the adeniums I will offer are from my exclusive breeding line. Almost all commercially available adeniums are A. "obesum " and its hybrids (primarily with crispum) . Most are bred for small size to fit into limited living spaces. They have been bred in tropical climates and are not necessarily cold-tolerant. The very popular double-flowered cultivars have been over-selected for flower characteristics, and their stems are usually not strong enough to hold the flowers upright. I have very different goals: Since 1999 my primary focus has been on plants that can grow large, even to landscape-size. (But they can be kept smaller with hard culture and pruning.) They're tetraploid (4n) hybrids of A. "arabicum " with A. "obesum " and often A. crispum too. Tetraploid plants tend to be more compact, with sturdier stems and thicker leaves, more tolerant of environmental stresses, and more disease resistant. I also select for plant quality - big caudexes and disease resistance, in addition to flowers that are well-shaped, numerous (high flower count per inflorescence), and bloom most or all of the year. These 4n cultivars grow well on their own roots; no grafting is needed. 2. I will offer other outstanding species and hybrids that are rarely available. See a partial listing below . Contact Brian to be notified by email when plants become available at sascactus . Adeniums Click on the adenium name to see cultivar details. Click on the Buy Now button (if present) to go to the sales site and shopping cart. A. arabicum 'Carol Ann' Shop Now Adenium 'Crimson Tower' Shop Now Adenium arabicum Shop Now Adenium 'Grenadine Splash' Shop Now Adenium 'Nearly Perfect #776' Shop Now Adenium 'OMG!' Shop Now Adenium 'Pink Elephant' Shop Now Adenium 'Radiant Dawn' Shop Now Adenium 'Tetra Splash #927' Shop Now Other sales Other Plants Billbergia stenopetala Probably the largest species of Billbergia; it can grow to over 4 feet tall before producing its spectacular multicolored inflorescence. The rosette is more narrowly tubular when grown in brighter light. Shop Now Tillandsia ehlersiana Near flowering size plants available in 2024. This beautiful species grows slowly. It takes 6 to 10 years to flower from seed, and 3 to 5 years for an offset to mature. It grows largest if potted in crushed rocks and fertilized generously. The plant shown is in an 8-inch pot. Shop Now Strophocactus (Selenicereus) wittii The moon cactus made famous by artist Margaret Mee. It grows on tree branches overhanging the Amazon River. Its cladodes (stems) wrap around the branches like a coiling snake. Cold hardiness untested. Shop Now Tillandsia duratii saxatilis 'Chaco Flaco' This selected clone from the Chaco region of Paraguay has long, narrow rosettes and huge inflorescences. It's slow-growing so rarely offered for sale. Shop Now Tillandsia 'Twisted Reality' Description This is a hybrid of Tillandsia (bulbosa x streptophylla ) x 'Gorgon'. It has the best of its parents: a bulbous base and twisted leaves. An equally distorted small red inflorescence appears when the rosette is mature. With time it will grow into a tangled ball. Shop Now Tillandsia 'Curly Slim' My hybrid of Tillandsia streptophylla x intermedia . Rosettes tend to be long and narrow with soft, twisted leaves. The shape varies greatly with culture. If grown dry in high light, rosettes will be compact with tightly twisted leaves. With less light and more water, rosettes grow more elongated and the leaves are less twisted. To produce the most charismatic specimen, grow it with generous water and fertilizer until it begins to flower, then let it dry out and watch the leaves twist and coil. Shop Now Opuntia alta 'Fruit Punch' An extremely vigorous plant that can attain six feet tall and twice as wide in less than 10 years. Unlike most prickly pears, this clone grows pads throughout the summer. It flowers massively in April-May; each terminal pad can produce more than 20 buds that open into big purplish-red blooms. More flowers appear sporadically through summer. Culture: Native to south Texas, so it needs more water than most desert prickly pears. Hardy to at least 12 F. Origin: Opuntia alta is a hexaploid (6n) species that originated as a natural hybrid between O. engelmannii lindheimeri and O. stricta . In 1999 Tom Wiewandt gave Mark Dimmitt a pad of a plant he collected near McAllen, Texas. It was the most colorful prickly pear he saw there, with reddish-purple flowers. Mark Dimmitt grew about 100 seedlings from this plant, and selected this clone as the best of them. Note: This is different from the Colorado plant of the same name. It's also different from 'Citrus Punch'. Available now Opuntia 'Tucson Ruby' The plant looks like an Engelmann prickly pear when not in flower. Modest size; grows to 2 feet tall and four feet across in several years. Flowers in April-May. The color varies with the weather from blood-red orange; both colors may be present at the same time. Culture: Needs no supplemental water in Tucson (10-12 inches annual rainfall). Hardy to at least 12 F, Note: This plant volunteered on Mark Dimmitt's property. An Engelmann prickly pear apparently crossed with one of the red-flowered plants in his ya rd. Available now Right 2: The flowers of 'Tucson Ruby' vary with the weather, blooming darker on cooler days (< 90-95 F). Sansevieria stuckyi giant form The colony shown is 8 years in the ground and the tallest leaves exceed six feet. They reportedly can grow even taller. This clone was collected by Jim McConville (#165) in Botswana, USDA #19459, HBG #50502. Available summer 2025 Tillandsia duratii 'Chaco Giant' Another selected clone from the Chaco of Paraguay. It has the largest, most succulent rosettes that I have seen in this species. The inflorescences are sparsely branched. This cultivar has never been offered for sale. Available again in 2026? Commiphora monstruosa A slow-growing natural bonsai with twisted stems and peeling bark. This 13-year-old plant has been pruned but not trained. Rooted cuttings available 2027

Adenium " arabicum" x crispum hybrids As far as I know, Miles Anderson of Miles’ to Go Nursery is the only person who has successfully made this F 1 cross. He got only five viable plants, but they were fertile. They have the large caudexes and sturdy, erect branches of “arabicum ”; the small plant size, foliage, and flowers were heavily do minated by the crispum parent. Third generation plants that I grew from these plants still showed the striped petals, and mostly quilled petals. Some of these are larger, up to five feet (1.5 m) tall. In my opinion the main value of this line is contributing smaller size and striped flowers into the “arabicum” x “obesum” x crispum line . These hybrids are apparently tetraploid, because they cross only with other 4n adeniums. Above left: The star-shaped flowers of some clones have flat petals, but most will quill in a couple of days (right). Left: One of Miles Anderson's original F1 plants of Adenium "arabicum" x crispum. The caudexes are very large compared to plant size. Photo: Miles Anderson. Miles Anderson's F2 crosses of Adenium "arabicum" x crispum also have relatively huge caudexes, but the flowers are still quilled. The promise of these plants is to get cripsum 's patterned flowers and smaller plant size into the tetraploid arabicum-"obesum " line. Plant at left is 5 years old in a 14-inch pot. Footnotes

Adenium "obesum" x "arabicum" hybrids First generation hybrids between this tetraploid and diploid species are very rare, probably because the odd number of chromosomes (3n, triploid) in the fertilized ova can’t pair up during cell division. Out of more than two hundred controlled pollinations, I have obtained fewer than 10 viable seedlings. All of these F 1 (primary, first generation) crosses are tetraploid and strongly resemble the “arabicum” parent. It’s apparent that “arabicum ” occasionally makes triploid ova, which, when fertilized by a haploid “obesum ” sperm cell, forms two pairs of each homologous chromosome (Richard J. “Jake” Henny, written communication). Therefore F1 hybrids are 3/4 "arabicum", which explains the dominance of this species' characteristics in the hybrids. Fortunately, some of the hybrids are fertile. The F 1 and subseque nt generations of this breeding line have impressive hybrid vigor, and can rapidly grow into huge specimens. The first one, named ‘Arabian Ruby’ is the most vigorous adenium that I have ever seen. At ten years of age, it filled a 42-inch (107 cm) pot with a multi-stemmed base almost three feet (91 cm) thick. Cuttings of this plant are also vigorous and very caudiciform . Most other plants of this interspecific hybrid are also very large. In subsequent generations the “arabicum ” parentage remains heavily dominant in plant form. The “obesum ” parentage shows in the large, brightly colored flowers (three to four inches, 76-102 mm wide), and unfortunately, a tendency to weak stems. After four generations of selection, some excellent reds are showing up. See the superior cultivars page for a gallery of these hybrids. Adenium 'Arabian Ruby' is probably the first hybrid between A. "arabicum" and A. "obesum". It is also the most vigorous adenium that I've ever encountered. The seedling grew rapidly to enormous size, a classic example of hybrid vigor. See the gallery of superior cultivars for more details on this and other hybrids of this line. Above: Flowers of Adenium 'Arabian Ruby'. Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Arabian Ruby' at ten years old. Above: Adenium 'Bouquet'. Above: Adenium 'Crimson Tower'. Above: Adenium 'Prolific Behemoth'. Above left: Adenium 'Ginormous Red' at 11 years old; right: 13 years. Footnotes

Back to Gallery Cultivars of Rare Crosses or Unknown Parentage Here are a few oddballs that don't fit anywhere else. 'Beautiful Mule' 'Flame Tree' 'Bohemian Splash' 'Singapore' 'Candy Stripes' 'Crimson Picotee' 'Winter Remedy' 'Beautiful Mule' Parentage: Complex hybrid involving Adenium "obesum", swazicum, and crispum . ('Candy Stripes' x 'Black Raspberry') 'Candy Stripes' = A. crispum 'Famous Ancestor' x A. swazicum 'Perpetual Pink' 'Black Raspberry' = A. crispum 'Famous Ancestor' x A. "obesum " 'Black Ruby' Creator: Dimmitt 2003 Plant form: Naturally arborescent with thick trunk, major branches, and massive roots. Foliage resembles that of "obesum", except for more prominent white veins as in crispum. Deciduous. It can also branch basally and become a shrub. Flower: Round at first; with age the petals elongate and quill, becoming more star-shaped. Diameter at one week 84 mm, 35 mm petal width. Petals solid crimson-red outer halves, fading to pink at throat. Throat red with darker red strong nectar guides that extend onto the petals halfway to the tips. There are white calluses where each pair of petals fuse at the throat. (They turn red in older flowers.) Flowers continuously from mid spring through late autumn. Notes: I had high hopes for this cultivar when it was young. I love tree adeniums, and the flowers borne at eye level. Alas, it's completely sterile, hence the name. It seems to have no pollen, and it has never set a fruit. Worse still, although it roots easily from cuttings, it is exceptionally susceptible to root rot. I have lost many plants from watering once too late in the fall or too early in the spring. I don't sell it except to the most avid and diligent collectors. Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Beautiful Mule', 17 years old in an 18-inch pot. Far left: a new flower of adenium 'Beautiful Mule', showing excellent shape. Left: week-old flowers, showing how the petals elongate as the flower ages. The right photo shows more accurate color - crimson-red. Back to Menu Above: A grafted plant of adenium 'Bohemian Splash', about 7 years old. The original seedling is slow-growing. 'Bohemian Splash' (MAD639) Parentage: Complex hybrid involving Adenium boehmianum, "obesum", and crispum . A. boehmianum 'MAD193' x 'Happy Princess' Creator: Dimmitt 2010 Plant form: Vigorous (on grafts) upright shrub or tree with sturdy branches; tends to grow taller than wide. Deciduous. Flower: Round, 60 mm diameter x 26 mm petal width. Petals pink with many fine dark pink lines almost to the tips. Throat pinkish-red with prominent black nectar guides. Blooms prolifically from early summer to early winter. High flower count. Notes: This is my favorite boehmianum hybrid, because of its strong growth and profusion of colorful flowers. The great majority of boehmianum hybrids are weak and/or are very slow growing. They produce mostly inferior offspring in subsequent generations. Back to Menu Above: The flowers of adenium 'Bohemian Splash'. Left: A young grafted plant of adenium 'Bohemian Splash', about 2 years old. 'Candy Stripes' Parentage: Label lost; presumably Adenium crispum x swazicum . When this cross was made, the most likely parents were A. crispum 'Famous Ancestor' and A. swazicum 'Perpetual Pink' Creator: Dimmitt 2000 Plant form: Erect, arborescent, with large roots and thick main stems. Deciduous. Flower: Semi-star, 80 mm diameter x 27 mm petal width. Petals dark pink with 3 fine dark pink lines to the tips and numerous short streaks. Flowers age to light pink. Throat red with darker red nectar guides. Blooms prolifically during the warm months. Notes: The dark throat and short anther appendages indicate swazicum parentage (if it were boehmianum , it should contribute larger leaves); while the petal markings have to come from crispum. Neither species is known for having sturdy stems, so this erect plant is a treasure. This clone grows well from cuttings. I know of no other crispum-swazicum hybrids. Above: A new (left) and old flower of 'Candy Stripes'. Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Candy Stripes', 9 years old in a 24-inch box. Right: This hybrid of A. crispum x A. swazicum by JFR Exotics supports my conclusion about the parentage of 'Candy Stripes'. Photo: John Franklin Roosevelt. Back to Menu 'Crimson Picotee' Parentage: Primary hybrid between A. "obesum " and A. multiflorum . Creator: Dimmitt 1984 Plant form: Very large, erect shrub with thick, sturdy main branches and massive roots. Evergreen. Flower: Round-star, 70 mm diameter x 27 mm petal width. Petals white with broad bright red border. Throat white with few prominent nectar guides. Blooms sparsely but almost continuously year-round. Notes: I've made several "obesum"-multiflorum hybrids, but this was the only one worth keeping. The others were less vigorous, and flowered even more sparsely. Grows well from cuttings and makes a good grafting rootstock. Back to Menu Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Crimson Picotee', 10 feet tall in a 36-inch pot at 16 years old. Left two: the flowers of 'Crimson Picotee'. 'Flame Tree' Parentage: Complex hybrid of A. "obesum", swazicum, and somalense. ('Crimson Star' x A. somalense ) Creator: Dimmitt 1995 Plant form: Tree to at least 10 feet tall in 10 years, with thick cylindrical trunk. Roots not greatly swollen. Flower: Round/semi-star, 55 mm diameter x 20 mm petal width. Petals deep red, fading to near-white at the throat. Throat blackish-red with black nectar guides that extend halfway to petal tips as red lines. Notes: I have made only a few crosses with somalense, because I didn't have any good clones of the species until very recently. Such hybrids have little value as commercial pot plants because they get so big so fast. But they would make great landscape plants in tropical climates. I list this cultivar because I know of no similar hybrids. It also shows that somalense can contribute petal markings to hybrids. Do you have any somalense hybrids? Please contribute to our knowledge. Above left: The original seedling of adenium 'Flame Tree', 8 feet tall at 9 years old. Above right: The same plant at 17 years old, 10 feet tall in a 22-inch pot. Back to Menu Above: A 4-year-old cutting of adenium 'Singapore', already showing its conical caudex. 'Singapore' Parentage : Uncertain; possibly this is Adenium coetanum . See notes below. Origin: Introduced by the Singapore Botanical Garden in 1933. My plant is a cutting of Frank Horwood's clone from Abbey Garden. Plant form: Spreading shrub with conical caudex and swollen main stems. Evergreen. Flower: Very large, semi-star, 102 mm diameter x 30 mm petal width. Petals light pink with wide deep pink to light red margin. Throat white with few faint nectar guides. Blooms repeatedly during the warm months. Notes: This is the oldest named cultivar of adenium, dating to a time decades before adeniums became well known in horticulture. Albert Chan at the Singapore Botanic Garden showed the plant to the famous botanist Richard Eric Holttum. He identified the plant as A. coetanum , a taxon of questionable validity. There are a few herbarium specimens with this label that were collected from northern Uganda and Kenya south to northern Tanzania. Adeniums from this region are currently recognized as A. somalense in the north and A. "obesum " in the south. DNA analysis suggests that 'Singapore' is an obesum-somalense intergrade. Therefore it is probable, whatever its true identity is, that it originated in this region of East Africa. Frank Horwood succeeded in selfing his plant and obtained a handful of seedlings, which were fertile. All of the plants in the US labeled A. coetanum are probably descended from this one clone. Source: a 1980 letter from Frank Horwood . Above: The 4-inch flower of adenium 'Singapore'. Back to Menu Above: A 12-year-old cutting of adenium 'Singapore. 'Winter Remedy' Parentage: Adenium multiflorum x swazicum primary hybrid. (A. multiflorum 'MAD1' x A. swazicum 'Perpetual Pink' Creator: Dimmitt 1987. Plant form: Spreading shrub with massive roots. Semi-deciduous. Flower: Round/semi-star, 77 mm diameter x 27 mm petal width. Petals with wide medium pink margin, fading to near-white at throat. Throat red with no nectar guides. Flowers fade to light pink in a week. Inflorescence is indeterminate, produces buds and flowers for about 3 months. Winter blooming. Notes: This is one of a small number of winter-blooming adeniums. Above left: The flower of adenium 'Winter Remedy'. Above right: A 3-month old indeterminate inflorescense. The first flower was where my two fingers are gripping the peduncle. Back to Menu Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Winter Remedy' at 16 years old in a 24-inch pot. Cuttings grow the same massive roots in several years.

Adenium crispum Adenium crispum occurs in a band of sandy soil near the coast of southern Somalia. (It has not been formally published as a full species, but as A. somalense var. crispum Chiov.) In nature the fusiform caudex is subterranean. Most of the root system arises from near the top of this caudex. In cultivation the caudex is raised above soil level, and the caudex reroots from the bottom. The stems are thin and rarely exceed a foot tall. The small flowers are very distinctive and serve as the best identifier: most clones have quilled petals (curled longitudinally). And most notably, the nectar guides extend well onto the petals, often all the way to the tips. (The flowers of some A. somalense have nectar guides onto the petals, but the petals are only slightly or not at all quilled.) The anther appendages often extend beyond the throat. Flat-petaled and solid red-petaled plants are known. It is not widely cultivated, probably because it is very cold-sensitive and intolerant of hot, humid weather. Adenium crispum , a collected plant. Note the scars from the original roots near the top of the caudex. An unusually tall A. crispum . W hen grafted onto a large rootstock, Adenium crispum can grow huge. This 5-year-old graft of 'Famous Ancestor ' is more than 2 meters tall, half of which is the rootstock. 4 years old in a 6-inch pot. 10 years old in a 12-inch bonsai pot. Above 3 photos: seed-grown Adenium crispum 'MAD 297', showing its slow growth through the years. 22 years old in a 16-inch bonsai pot. Flower of A. crispum 'Famous Ancestor ' with especially prominent, long nectar guides and strongly quilled petals. Back to Top A selection of Adenium crispum flowers in cultivation, showing variation in petal color, shape, and nectar guides. Adenium crispum in the Wild Adenium crispum near Warshak, Somalia Photo: Myron Kimnach Adenium crispum 40 km north of Mogadishu, Somalia on road to Warshedih Photos: John Lavranos Adenium crispum 40 km north of Mogadishu, Somalia on road to Warshedih. Photo: John Lavranos Two plants of Adenium crispum with solid red flowers. Above left: Somalia, location unknown. Photo: John Lavranos Above right: 40 km north of Mogadishu, Somalia. Photo: Gerald Barad. John Lavranos displays a recently collected plant of Adenium crispum in Somalia. Note the feeding roots on the top of the subterranean caudex. Photo: John Lavranos Back to Top Footnotes

Cultivars of Adenium dhofarense Back to Gallery None? I don't know of any selected cultivars of this species that are important to adenium horticulture. If you know of any, please submit photos and a description using this form . Due credit will be given.

Superior Cultivars of Adenium swazicum 'Boyce Thompson' Perpetual Pink 'Boyce Thompson' Parentage: Adenium swazicum Origin: Found, selected, and named by Dimmitt in the collection of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, ca.1982. Plant form: Spreading shrub with weak drooping stems typical of the species. No caudex, but grows massive roots. Deciduous for short winter dormancy. Flower: Semi-star, 70 mm diameter; petals uniformly dark purple, 25 mm wide; throat nearly black. Blooms from late spring to early winter. Notes: Distinctive for its very dark flowers and its huge contribution to early hybrids, especially 'Crimson Star ', that initiated the worldwide popularity of adeniums. A. swazicum 'Boyce Thompson' a 23 year old cutting. This clone has the typical weak stems of the species, but it blooms up to 9 months a year with very dark purple flowers. Left: A. swazicum 'Boyce Thompson' a 26 year old cutting. This the same plant as above, a year after a heavy pruning. Above and below: Two views of the flowers of Adenium swazicum 'Boyce Thompson'. Back to Menu Flower of A. swazicum 'Perpetual Pink'. The shade varies somewhat with temperature. A. swazicum 'Perpetual Pink', a 27 year old seedling. This clone is a more sturdy plant than is typical of the species, and it flowers year-round. 'Perpetual Pink' Parentage: Adenium swazicum Origin: Seedling selected by Dimmitt, 1980. Plant form: Vigorous spreading shrub with sturdier stems than typical of the species. No caudex, but grows massive roots. Deciduous for short winter dormancy. Flower: Nearly circular, 95 mm wide; petals uniformly medium pink, 48 mm wide; throat dark pink/purple. Blooms profusely mid summer to early winter. Notes: Distinctive for its densely bushy habit and large flowers. Back to Menu