Adenium arabicum Hybrids

Adenium arabicum is very reluctant to cross with other species, so hybrids are rare. The arabicum parent contributes its gigantic caudex; obesum contributes darker flower color than the usual arabicum pink. A. crispum is dominant in its hybrids, even with giant arabicum.

Photos by Mark Dimmitt unless otherwise noted

Dozens of attempted crosses between Adenium obesum 'Black Ruby' and A. arabicum finally produced one viable seed. The result was 'Arabian Ruby'. It flowers year round with very large, light red flowers.	'Arabian Ruby' grows very fast and gets huge. The plant above is the original seedling at 7 years of age; it is in a 36" pot and has a caudex 12" (30 cm) across. It has grown dramatically in the two years since this photo was taken.	Above: Adenium 'Bouquet' is an F2 obesum-arabicum hybrid that bears sizeable bunches of medium red flowers. Below: 'Bouquet' at 4 years old in an 18" pot.
Adenium (obesum X arabicum) F2 'MAD 399' seedling flowering at less than a year old in a 6" pot. It already has a substantial caudex.	Adenium (obesum X arabicum) F2 'MAD 364', at two years of age in an 18" pot.	Adenium 'Bouquet'. See flower above.
Adenium (obesum X arabicum) F3 'MAD 400'. Excellent reds are beginning to appear in the 3rd generation, still with the great arabicum caudex. Some are also everblooming.		Left: Adenium arabicum X crispum, a cross made by Miles' To Go. The plants are basically fast-growing crispums with larger caudexes. Above: flower closeup.

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