Common name: Desert Rose

Desert Rose is a flowering succulent native to dry areas of Sub-Saharan Africa and Arabia and a close relative of Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) and Oleander (Nerium oleander).

It grows slowly to heights of up to 6 m (20 ft) under ideal conditions, though it is more typically 1 to 2 m (3 to 6 ft) tall and has a shrub-like appearance. The stems are soft-wooded, and the trunk is swollen at the base, adding to the plant's ornamental appeal.

The leaves are dark green, club-shaped, rounded at the tip and tapered toward the base, attaching directly to the branches. They are few, especially in the dry season, when they fall off the plant and leave the branches mostly bare.

Flowering is at its fullest in the dry season. However, on-and-off flowering is common in regularly watered gardens for the rest of the year. The flowers are monoecious, with separate female and male flowers on the same plant. They are showy and, through selective breeding, come in a range of colours from red to pink, yellow, pure white, or white with pink margins, depending on the variety or hybrid.

Fruiting is irregular, with no fruiting in some years. When the plant bears fruit, the seedpods are slender and curved, with small, cylindrical, hairy, tufted seeds inside, designed for wind dispersal.

Environmental uses

Flowering ornamental - Desert Rose is commonly cultivated for its showy floral display and the unusual, sometimes curious shapes the trunk develops.

Container plant - It is commonly grown in a container, as it does especially well in a pot, which provides the quick drainage it needs.

Seaside garden plant - It performs well in seaside gardens because it tolerates light salt spray...

Poolside plant - ...and also suits poolsides...

Bonsai plant - ...and Bonsai.

Material uses

Fish poison - Bark and leaf decoctions have been applied locally to stun or catch fish.

Cayman Islands

Climate

Although naturally adapted to dry climates, Desert Rose tolerates humidity, growing and flowering reliably in dry to humid subtropical and tropical climates, generally frost-free areas with annual lows of 11 to 25°C, annual highs of 20 to 37°C, annual rainfall of 200 to 2300 mm and a dry season of 10 months or less, extending to 12 months with irrigation.

Growing

New plants are easily grown from seed or cuttings. Seed-grown plants start flowering in the second year, a year or two earlier than vegetatively grown plants. It performs best in quick-draining sand and sandy loam soils that are slightly acidic to moderately alkaline, generally with a pH of 6.5 to 8.0, and in sites with full to partial sun exposure.

Problem features

Desert Rose is unlikely to become a weed due to its shy seeding habit. There appears to be no record of it as a serious weed anywhere. The Hawaii Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA) project assesses it as a low weed-risk species for Hawaii.

The sap contains cardiotoxic glycosides, which are highly toxic if ingested by pets (dogs, cats, and horses) or humans. It has a long history of use as an arrow poison in its native range.

Books

• Barwick, M., et al. 2004, Tropical & subtropical trees : a worldwide encyclopaedic guide, Thames and Hudson, London

• Perry, F. & Hay, R. 1982, A field guide to tropical and subtropical plants, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York

• Polunin, Ivan 1987, Plants and flowers of Singapore, Times Editions, Singapore

• Randall, R. P. 2007, The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status, Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management, Glen Osmond, South Australia

• Rauch, F. D. & Weissich, P. R. 2000, Plants for tropical landscapes : a gardener's guide, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu

• Schmelzer G.H., et al. 2008, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa, Volume 11(1) : Medicinal Plants 1, PROTA Foundation, Backhuys Publishers, Leiden