Desert Rose is such an evocative name for this native of the faraway Arabian peninsula, parts of Africa, and some hot places south of the Sahara desert. To describe it is to remove some of the romance and mystique the name conjures. Picture fat, bulbous, goofy tubers that spout bursts of nice, green leaves at their tops, and then bloom improbably big and beautiful trumpet flowers, which come in reds and pinks with a pale, creamy white light in the throats accented with some nice, red stripes. Not knowing whether to call themselves roots, stems, or trunks, these funny, beigey-grey, swollen, cartoon things can twist and tangle to a bonsai knot at the bottom or head straight up to be a tall houseplant, or go straight on to a big, showy tree, sometimes taking detours and branching. To see a grove of these tubbies in the wild desert is a study in weirdness. If that isn't enough, the caterpillars of the polka dot wasp moth like to feed on them. Water like a cactus; almost never.
- Drought Tolerant
- Low Maintenance
Quick Care Guide:
- Water - Low (1): Needs very little water to survive. Wait until the plant is completely dry then fully soak. Drought tolerant by nature.
- High - (5): Plant needs a lot of light; direct is even better. These plants do best when placed on a window sill or next to a bright window. Avoid concentrated, hot light from window which may cause burning (magnifying glass effect).
- Difficulty - Low (1): These plants need barely any attention to thrive. Set it and forget it.
View full breakdown of Care Guide here.