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Back to Gallery Cultivars of Adenium boehmianum 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.

Cultivation What is Dormancy? What is Actively Growing? Adenium "arabicum " cultivar 'MAD 965' Adenium Culture Characteristics of Adenium Species Anchor 1 Download PDF: Anchor 2 Download PDF: Dormancy In botany, "dormant" means not actively growing. Dormant plants may retain leaves and still conduct photosynthesis, and they may also flower. Dormant and deciduous. Water consumption is nearly zero. Adenium "arabicum". In leaf, but dormant because no new leaves are being produced. Adenium "obesum". Water such plants sparingly; it doesn't consume much in this state. In leaf, but dormant because no new leaves are being produced. Adenium "obesum". Water such plants sparingly; it doesn't consume much in this state. Dormant and deciduous, but flowering. Water use is still minimal. Adenium "arabicum" 'Hansoti Dwarf'. In leaf and flowering, but it's still dormant because no new leaves are being produced. This plant uses much less water than when it is growing new stems. Adenium "arabicum" In some adeniums part or all of the foliage will suddenly turn yellow and fall. This plant has entered dormancy and watering must be sharply reduced or stopped. Adenium crispum X "obesum" hybrid 'New Star'. The dormant plant is flanked by two other crispum hybrids that are still actively growing. Growing and Active In botany, "dormant" means not actively growing. Dormant plants may retain leaves and still conduct photosynthesis, and they may also flower. This Adenium socotranum is breaking dormancy. Water use is still low, but it needs some to stimulate waking up. This 'Arabian Ruby' was evergreen through the winter, and is now breaking dormancy by producing new leaves in spring. Growing: The soft green stem of this 'Crimson Star' reveals active stem elongation as well as rapid new leaf production. This 'Arabian Ruby' was evergreen through the winter, and is now breaking dormancy by producing new leaves in spring. Active. Not dormant, but not really growing either. If kept warm and moist in winter, some adeniums continue making new leaves at a slow pace, but stem elongation is minimal. Water use is much less than during the summer growing season. Footnotes

Hybrids containing Adenium somalense nova & crispum Waiting for contributions

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

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.

Double Flowered Cultivars

Hybrids containing Adenium " arabicum", "obesum", & crispum Crossing “arabicum” x “obesum ” plants with “arabicum” x “crispum ” plants creates a trifecta, my ideal adenium: medium-sized plants (three to five feet [90-150 cm] tall, from the crispum parentage) with comparatively large caudexes (from "arabicum " and crispum ), sturdy stems (from "arabicum"), and large flowers (three-plus inches [76+ mm] from "obesum ") that often have splashed petals (from crispum ). The plants are fast-growing and quite cool-tolerant; they don’t get root rot even if watered in winter. Many are evergreen and flower almost year round. Seedlings flower in a year or two. Cuttings root easily and produce caudexes in a few years. (Cuttings are more economical than grafting as is required of most “obesum” x crispum hybrids because of the former species' usually poor caudex development and the latter’s slow growth.) What more could a plant breeder ask for? This breeding line is my main focus now, and it appears that no other hybridizers are working with any "arabicum " interspecific hybrids. While these plants can still grow too large for the mass commercial market, their size can be limited by hard culture. See the superior hybrids page for more images and descriptions. Above two images: Adenium 'St. Elmo's Fire' is a typical example of complex hybrids containing Adenium "arabicum ", "obesum ", and crispum . The plant above is ten years old in a 16-inch pot, and is about two feet (60 cm) tall and three feet (90 cm) wide. See the gallery of superior cultivars for more hybrids in this line. Above: Adenium 'Nearly Perfect #777'. Above: Adenium 'Starbright'. Above: Adenium 'Radiant Dawn'. Footnotes

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

Adenium "obesum" x swazicum hybrids Adenium "obesum" x swazcium hybrids are probably the first intergeneric crosses made in the genus. The primary hybrids (first generation, aka F 1 ) have fairly consistent traits and are usually quite beautiful. The plants are well-branched shrubs, but usually with weak stems that need hard pruning to mainta in a neat, upright form. The swazicum parent often contributes a large caudex or swollen roots. The “obesum” parent contributes large flower size and a wide range of colors. The swazicum parent intensifies the flower color (if the parents are dark) and transmits uniform petal color (i.e., it doesn’t fade toward the throat as in all other species except A. boehmianum). F 1 hybr ids also have dark red or black throats. The primary hybrids are pollen-sterile, so second generation (F 2 ) crosses are not possible. F 1 plants can be used as seed parents and back-crossed to one of the parent species, but most offspring are weak. Because of these problems, complex A. swazicum hybrids (second generation and beyond) are rare. See the superior cultivar page for a gallery of the best. Above left: a flower of 'Crimson Star ' (bottom) with its parents A. "obesum " 'Red Everbloomer ' (left) and A. swazicum 'Boyce Thompson '. This old scanned transparency is oversaturated. The photo above right is closer to 'Crimson Star's' color. Notice the centripetal fading of the petals of the "obesum" parent, and the solid color and characteristic dark throat of the hybrid. A 10-year-old cutting-grown 'Crimson Star '. This cv. has thick, sturdy stems and roots, but they develop slowly. Footnotes

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' Expected availability summer 2025 Adenium 'Crimson Tower' Shop Now Adenium "obesum " 'Great General' Available spring 2025 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