Stats

Lifespan: Up to 100 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Desert
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

Desert rose is a succulent shrub from Africa and Arabia prized for its dramatically swollen, water-storing trunk called a caudex. Despite its name, it belongs to the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), and its vivid pink funnel-shaped flowers can appear year-round in warm climates.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Adenium
Species: Adenium obesum