Desert rose
Adenium obesum
Also called Adenium
Houseplant · Succulents & cactiThe swollen base is a water store, so it rots in a wet winter pot. Keep it nearly dry from the first cold night until spring.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 12 daysSoak, then bone-dry — wait until the soil is dry right through — lift the pot, it tells you.
- Light
- Full sun
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 1.2 m tall · 0.9 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- The Sahel and Arabia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, lethargy, an irregular heartbeat and death.
PeopleHarmful if eaten
HandlingTake care handling it
The sap carries cardiac glycosides and is used as an arrow poison in its native range — gloves to prune, and keep it off broken skin.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The swollen base gives softly under a thumb and the skin there wrinkles instead of staying taut.Caudex rot · disease