Desert rose, or adenium, is foliage plant East African in origin with thick stems and bright flowers. It belongs to the Kutrov family (Apocynaceae). At home, the leaves can remain on the plant all year round, if there is enough heat and light. It is noteworthy that Adenium is often confused with another species, whose habitat is Egypt. Desert rose, as this annual is called herbaceous plant of the Cabbage family, is actually a species of Anastatica hierochuntica, and has nothing in common with the Kutrovye family. Look at the photo - the desert rose is truly a very beautiful and unusual creation of nature.
Morphology
On adult specimens, the stem, or caudex, becomes swollen, thick, and often oddly shaped. This gives adenium an unusual and amazing appearance. The leaves are usually bright green. During the dry season, the desert rose is filled with colorful flowers. The size of adenium can reach 5 meters, but there are also varieties that require a small bowl in an apartment. Currently withdrawn large number desert rose hybrids. They are characterized by a wide variety of flower colors - from traditional red to striped and orange. It is worth noting that adenium is poisonous and children and pets should not come into contact with it. After handling the plant, wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
Varieties
Desert rose comes in a huge variety of subspecies. Let's take a look at the most common of them. Adenium swazicum is one of the hardiest varieties of desert rose. It is characterized by its small size and adaptability to living in a city apartment.
Adenium arabicum is used as garden plant, has a thick and powerful squat trunk. The leaves of Arabian adenium are fleshy and dense, very similar to the leaves of succulents. Interestingly, the color of its caudex is very diverse; it can have purple and pink spots.
Somali adenium (Adenium somalense). This species is characterized large sizes and a powerful, widened trunk base. During the first year and a half it grows very quickly, reaching one and a half meters in height during this time. Temperature environment when growing Somali adenium, it should not fall below 12 °C.
Monkey adenium (Adenium obesum) has gained the greatest popularity among florists and desert rose lovers. Other names of the species are Adenium obese, Adenium thick. It is characterized by a wide variety of caudex and flower colors. Breeders successfully take advantage of this and create more and more new hybrids of Adenium obesum.
Growing conditions
The tropics and subtropics are considered the most favorable areas for growing and breeding adenium. Outside of these belts, the flower requires special care. Constant warmth is the main condition that the desert rose needs. The plant is very demanding on lighting. The ideal location in the apartment is near a south-facing window. This will ensure that the rose leaves are constantly exposed to straight sun rays. The plant should be watered rarely. In winter, reduce the flow of water, but at the same time do not dry out the soil, keep it sufficiently moist. The soil for planting roses should have drainage and be slightly acidic. When buying a mixture for your future rose, choose soil for succulents and cacti. Feed adenium with fertilizers every summer. In order for the desert rose to grow into a more interesting and bizarre shape, use one secret. Remove the top portion of the plant's root system from the soil, leaving a little more than half of it in the soil. This way, the roots will be slightly open, and as a result of growing along with the trunk, they will begin to form an interesting shape.
Reproduction
Desert rose is a plant that usually reproduces by seeds. They ripen in pods. You can speed up germination by spraying and periodically heating the pot from below. In a week, the first shoots will appear, and in a month, when several true leaves have formed on the seedlings, you can begin replanting. Desert and cuttings, but specimens grown in this way may not have such thick and powerful tuberous stems as when grown from seeds. Pinch off a shoot 7-10 cm long from the stem and dip it in a solution with fungicides and hormones, for example, Epin solution. Then plant the cutting in a small pot filled with a slightly moistened mixture of perlite and peat in a ratio of 1:3.
Transfer
The young man needs a pot small size. But as the adenium grows, it needs to be transplanted into a larger container. This procedure should only be carried out in warm time year. First, make sure the soil is dry, then carefully remove the adenium from the pot. Remove old dead roots and any rot. Treat cuts formed during the replanting process with fungicidal and antibacterial solutions. Place the rose in new pot and fill it with soil. Refrain from watering for about a week to prevent root rot, as adenium is very susceptible to this disease. Also be careful and careful not to damage parts of the plant.
Desert rose in your garden
If you want to decorate your garden or yard with adenium, try to find the maximum sunny place. Desert roses planted in partial shade have long, thin, oblong stems and are more susceptible to disease. The soil in the area intended for planting should not be too wet or prone to flooding. If there is no place in your garden with dry soil, then make a mound of at least 20 cm above the main soil. It is also important that the desert rose grows out of reach automatic systems watering and spraying. Together with this species, you can plant a variety of heat-loving plants. It is important to know the optimal composition of the soil mixture, which is ideal for planting adenium in open ground. It won't be difficult to prepare it yourself.
This mixture includes:
- peat - 2 parts;
- coconut fiber - 2 parts;
- sand - 2 parts;
- perlite - 1 part.
The first couple of years, the desert rose grows very quickly. At this time, it is important and necessary to supply the soil with organic and mineral nutrients. Later the growth rate slows down, and this is normal. In spring and summer, liquid fertilizer should be applied every two weeks. And during the fall, the intensity of fertilization needs to be reduced.
Get this wonderful flower for yourself. Desert rose will help decorate a room or liven it up appearance your garden.
Where are you going on vacation?
- To Tunisia.
- Bring a rose.
I heard such a conversation once between two “ladies” in the year 2005...
Then I thought a little about why I would send some roses to Kazakhstan, but then I learned the souvenir feature of this state. Sell a piece of plaster, flavored with an Arabian fairy tale, to a visiting tourist who is completely freaked out by the heat and exoticism.
The nomadic tribes of the Sahara have long been familiar with strangely shaped stones. They called it the “Rose of the Desert” and attributed its appearance to a story that was stunning in its romance. After a difficult transition, reaching the oasis, people and camels quenched their thirst and rested. Camel urine washed away the sand and a “sand rose” appeared on the surface. In the old days, it was believed that these peculiar “flowers” were formed precisely from camel urine. Those who have it in their sideboard - relax. This is wrong.
In fact, the “desert rose” is an intergrowth of gypsum crystals that forms in a layer of sand, capturing its smallest particles during crystallization. 
In Tunisia, they can be purchased from cunning and resourceful traders who dream of extracting money from a tourist’s pocket... 
Actually, you will eat dates, and this seems to be a memory of this trip. 
For the “desert rose” to appear, special conditions are required. When precipitation falls in the desert, water quickly soaks into the sand. If there is a lot of gypsum in the sand, its particles are washed out and go deeper with water. Due to the intense heat, the water rises again to the surface. When complete evaporation of water occurs, new gypsum crystals of a peculiar curved and somewhat twisted shape are formed. 
Because somehow the formation of the mineral occurs in the sand layer, the sand becomes part of the crystal. 
The diameter of the petals ranges from 2-3 millimeters to several decimeters and the color resembles chocolate butter on a cake. 
The color of the crystals depends entirely on the color of the sand in which they were formed. 
White “desert roses” are found in the Tunisian Sahara. It's easy to make a decoration out of them. 
But the black ones are in the deserts of Argentina. I don’t have photos of these, although they are tinted for buyers, but they assure that natural color. Marketing… 
In a country where there are not so many resources, there is no need to waste the opportunity to earn money. 
It is especially important that you try to find it yourself. But not everyone dares to do this in the desert, where it is wildly hot. 
And for those who are accustomed to mining - a small gamble for life. 
Similar spectacular growths can be found in many places on our planet with a desert climate and sandy soils, enriched with gypsum. Of course, due to the high sand content, such gypsum is not used in construction. But the “desert rose” is highly valued by collectors and jewelry lovers.
For recent years The demand for these beautiful stones has grown so much that the Algerian government has banned their export. 
In some countries, it is customary to give a “desert rose” on Valentine’s Day as a symbol of unfading love. The story about camel urine, I don’t think it’s worth repeating, who will sort out their women? They will also take it for mockery. And then a romantic evening may not take place... 
This is how they live, some in a box... 
And who cares about the collections... 
But we must pay tribute - to sell a piece of plaster for money and tell a freshly invented romantic story - this is a talent you need to have... 
Morphological variety of the mineral gypsum.
Not... without a beautiful and poetic name, it’s not something. Let it be the “Rose of the Desert” 
Sometimes these formations don’t even look like roses. 
But when did this form interfere with trade? 
This is the kind of twist that ordinary plaster can bring 
Demand always gives rise to supply. Whatever it is. At least gypsum formations in the sand. 
Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and some other countries where there are many sandy deserts A very popular souvenir among tourists is an unusual mineral called “desert rose”.
In their shape, these formations resemble flowers, most often roses, although their shape can be completely different from flowers.
Such minerals are intergrowths of gypsum crystals formed in a layer of sand.
"Desert rose" occurs only under certain conditions when precipitation falls in the desert. The water quickly sinks into the dry sand, carrying particles of gypsum into its depths. During evaporation, the water rises to the surface again, forming new gypsum crystals of twisted shape. Sand also becomes part of the crystal, and its sizes can be very diverse.
“Desert Rose” is sold both in the form of a regular crystal and in the form of simple keychains, souvenirs, pendants and other decorations.
The nomadic tribes of the Sahara have been familiar with these bizarrely shaped stones since ancient times. After a difficult transition, reaching the oasis, people and camels quenched their thirst and rested. Camel urine washed away the sand and a “desert rose” appeared on the surface. In the old days, it was believed that these peculiar “flowers” were formed precisely from camel urine.
The diameter of the petals ranges from 2 - 3 millimeters to several decimeters. The color of the crystals depends entirely on the color of the sand in which they were formed. White “desert roses” are found in the Tunisian Sahara, black ones in the deserts of Argentina.
Similar spectacular growths can be found in many places on our planet with desert climates and sandy soils enriched with gypsum. Of course, due to the high sand content, such gypsum is not used in construction. But the “desert rose” is highly valued by collectors and jewelry lovers. In recent years, the demand for these beautiful stones has grown so much that the Algerian government has banned their export.