Help w/ plant identification and care

[Jonathanjonathan]

Hey all!

I bought this plan at the Farmer's Market and I'd love a bit of help identifying it and come advice about caring for it.

I've had it outside on my Los Angeles patio w/ occasional watering and it's losing all of it's leaves. Any info would be great! The others that he was selling had bright flowers but this one has never flowered.

Anyway, I don't want to kill it. Should i move it inside? Is it probably getting too much heat? Too little water?

Thanks so much!

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

This is a large-leaved form of Desert-rose (Adenium sp., likely A. obesum or A. arabicum?), in the Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae). The genus Adenium is native to southern and eastern Africa, Oman, Yemen, and Socotra.
There are also many ornately flowered hybrid cultivars.

Give this plant full sun, excellent drainage. Water and fertilize regularly during the growing season, but cut back on both when the weather cools or the plant initiates dormancy by dropping leaves. Begin to water again when the weather warms in Spring. Protect from frost. Southern California winters are fairly mild, but the plants will still benefit for a dry and sheltered dormancy in Winter.