This interesting plant has a number of common names - desert rose, mock azalea, Impala lily, Sabi star - but its botanical name is Adenium obesum, This thick-stemmed, sparsely-leaved, perennial succulent is native to semi- arid, sub-Saharan regions of eastern and southwestern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. In the wild this plant grows to 6-9' tall, but grows much smaller in containers. It forms a broad, swollen above-ground root which gives rise to twisted leafless gray-green to brown branches. Leathery, spirally-arranged, fleshy gray-green leaves appear at the stem tips. Narrow, bell-shaped flowers range from red, pink to rose with white to pale yellow throats. In the wild, flowers bloom in summer with some irregular continued bloom throughout the year. As houseplants, flowers typically bloom only in summer.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service