Desert Rose

[Mariam]

I got this Desert Rose at the end of Summer. It reminded me of those plants from Harry Potter that looked like people, when you pull them out of the ground. I have never had one before and am looking forward to when it blooms! When I first brought it home all the leaves, but a few, fell out. I was horrified, thinking it was going to die. The leaves have grown back, so hopefully it will make it. Nothing else seems wrong with it.

I brought it outside, so I could have better light. My little mischief makers immediately ran up to check it out.

 

[Trellum]

OMG, mariam!!!!! You are so lucky for having such a beautiful plant!!! This plant is probably one of the most amazing looking ones I've ever seen!!!! I just googled some images, and found this:

An excellent close-up:

Yet another one:

 

[claudine]

Wow! Mariam, you're so lucky It's such an amazing plant, I'd love to get one too. To be honest, I've never seen it in person, so far I've only seen pictures of it.
Trellum, these pictures are more than gorgeous, thank you for sharing them

 

[Mariam]

Wow! I can only hope that mine becomes this gorgeous! Thank you for showing the pictures! I love how the trunk can make the plant look like a mini Tree of Life. My trunk is just bulbous looking.

 

[Becky]

Bet you can't wait to see it grow now! I don't know too much about them, how quickly do they grow?

 

[gata montes]

Mariam - Love the photo of your Desert Rose and your furry friends, especially as some of us have recently been discussing your kitties or at least a certain one of them on another thread.
That is a really good sized Adenium you have there and have to say that these are one of my favorite plants, and thats not just because of their showy flowers or bulbous trunks, but because each one is so uniquely individual, that you will never ever find two the same or even remotely similar.
I wouldn't worry too much about the leaves falling either, as its quite normal for these plants to lose some if not all of their leaves, when they go into dormancy at the end of the growing season.


Trellum - think you pictures are truly beautiful

 

[SassyLife]

Oh my goodness, I like it even now with barely any leaves; it just give you this cool feeling, but seeing the images @Trellum shared I can honestley say: I WANT ONE.. NO, DOZENS!
Gorgeous!

 

[zigs]

I never knew it was a plant, grew up just knowing a Desert Rose was a Gypsum Crystal.

 

[Trellum]

Wow! I can only hope that mine becomes this gorgeous! Thank you for showing the pictures! I love how the trunk can make the plant look like a mini Tree of Life. My trunk is just bulbous looking.

Don't worry, I'm sure your little dessert rose will eventually get there Just give it some time! I'm sure it will grow to be as gorgeous as the ones in the picture! It seems a lot people (incluiding myself) didn't even know this amazing plant even existed. So I'd advice you to do an extensive research

Trellum - think you pictures are truly beautiful

Thank you I tried to pick the best ones

 

[claudine]

I never knew it was a plant, grew up just knowing a Desert Rose was a Gypsum Crystal.

Same here. When I noticed this thread, at first I thought of something like this:

I remember my friend showed me it a few years ago. According to her, it's called a Desert Rose.

 

[zigs]

That's the one, i've got one in a box somewhere

 

[Becky]

Me too! Got a chunk of it in our lounge

 

[Mariam]

I also have one of those desert rose crystals. My plant must be in the dormant stage, but some of the leaves have sprouted back. I am not sure how fast they grow because I have not had mine that long.

Yea, Tubby was hiding behind my rose. I had to quickly put it back inside, before he got any bright ideas! I tried to shoo my kitties out of the shot, but it was a losing battle.

 

[gata montes]

I don't have a desert rose crystal but would love to have one - especially as they would never stop flowering

Mariam - As now would be about the right time for your plant to start going dormant, it wouldn't be at all unnatural for it to start losing its leaves, however I'm wondering if that is the case, especially as you mentioned that some of its leaves have sprouted back, which could mean - that your plant lost its leaves because of a temperature fluctuation rather than the fact that it was going dormant, which they can sometimes do - when moved from a warm place to a cooler one and vice versa.
Adeniums are naturally slow growers when grown in a pot and watered as they should be. However there are mixed thoughts on this, particularly as some growers have found, that by giving them larger quantities of water it speeds up their growth - which is a bit risky as an Adenium would look good for up to a month after it had rotted from being over-watered, on top of which, the character of the trunk is very much dependent on how much water the plant receives, less gives a more gnarly characterful look whereas more will give a straighter less interesting look.

Yes I thought that was little Tubby hiding behind your plant and a real cutie too and talking of which, as I always believe its better to be safe rather than sorry, felt that I ought to mention especially as you have two furry companions, that the sap of Adeniums is poisonous to both animals and humans should they come into contact with it,

 

[Mariam]

Thanks for the heads up on it being poisonous! Well the leaves fell off when I first brought it home. Then a couple days later they sprouted back. Now, I am not sure if the leaves are still growing, they are still small. Are there definitive dormancy signs?