A succulent plant that can grow into a much-branched shrub to 3 m tall. The plants have a swollen caudex at the base that forms multiple swollen branches. The leaves are simple, spirally arranged, smooth-edged and up to 15 cm long. The flowers are usually pink or white, radially symmetric, and 2-5 cm long. 

2n = 22. 

Adenium obesum is a popular cultivated plant and is also grown as a bonsai plant. It can be grown from seeds or cuttings.

The plant in the pictures on this page was much smaller in all respects than described above. It was growing in a part of Somaliland that has suffered several years of below normal rainfall and where there is very high grazing pressure.     

The roots and stems produce sap that contains cardiac glycosides, compounds that have a severe impact on heart function. The sap is used for making poison arrows and as a fish toxin. 

M. Thulin, Flora of Somalia 3: 133

Plants shrubs or small trees, (0.2-) 0.4-5 m tall with a thick stem. Leaf blades ovate to linear, 3-27 cm long, 0.2-5 cm wide, pubescent to glabrous, margins flat or wavy, tips acute to emarginate or apiculate. Inflorescences with few to several flowers. Calyx lobes 5-11 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate,pubescent; corolla pink to red; tube 2-4.5 cm long; corolla lobes 0.9-2.8 cm long, apiculate, sparsely and minutely pubescent outside, glabrous to appressed pubescent inside; anthers with long hairy appendage.  Follicles 11-22 cm long, 0.9-2 cm wide; seeds 1-1.4 cm long, with dirty white hair tuffs.

Adenium obesum grows in Acacia Commiphora bushland, in Combretum bushland, and semi-desert open scrub, usually in rocky places but sometimes on sand, at elevations of 20-70 m.  The Flora of Somalia reports it for all 8 regions. 

Adenium obesum contains very toxic glycosides that have been used, for example, as arrow poison.

©Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; reproduced with permission.