An Adenium Website
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Superior Cultivars of Adenium
crispum x "obesum"
See the hybrid page for the general characteristics of this hybrid group. Adenium crispum x "obesum" hybrids are renowned primarily by their boldly blotched and striped flowers. There are already thousands of named cultivars in this group, and adenium breeders are creating many more every year. For this reason, most of the cultivars that are more than a few years old are already obsolete and probably no longer on the market. Keeping up is impossible. This is generally true of adeniums, but especially so for crispum-obesum hybrids. The goal of this gallery is to present a selection of the vast variety of flowers, many of which arrived and vanished without ever being given names.
'Dexter'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid: ('Garden Party' x 'Peppermint').
Creator: Dimmitt 2011
Plant form: Compact and unusually upright for the cross. Slow growing.
Flower: Round, 63 mm diameter, 24 mm petal width. Petals white with large red center blotch and numerous red splatters.
Left: Adenium 'Dexter', 9-year-old seedling in a 12-inch pot.
'Grenadine Splash'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid
Origin: Seedling from Taiwan, selected by Dimmitt, 2008
Plant form: Sturdy branching shrub to about 3 feet tall and wide in 10 years. Small caudex.
Flower: Nearly circular, large, 74 mm diameter x 36 mm petal width. Petals light red, heavily blotched and streaked with dark red; throat white.
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: Tan Wei Lee, Taiwan, before 2008
Plant form: Medium-sized, spreading shrub; deciduous. Known only as grafted plants.
Flower: Small, round, 40 mm diameter, 16 mm petal width. Petals light purple with dense overlay of red streaks except on margins. Throat yellow with prominent nectar guides. The flowers look much like those of crispum except that the petals are broad and flat, not quilled. Blooms profusely throughout warm months.
Notes: This plant looks like A. crispum on steroids - several times larger than the species. It's also much less delicate than the species, at least when grafted.
'Happy Princess'
Above left: Adenium 'Happy Princess', 2 -year-old graft in a 6-inch pot. Left: Same plant at 4 years old in a 12-inch pot.
'Harry Potter'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: C.F Chang, Taiwan, 2003
Plant form: Medium-sized, spreading shrub. Known only as grafted plants.
Flower: Round, 78 mm diameter, 30 mm petal width. Petals white with wide central red stripe and some red streaks. Throat white with prominent nectar guides. Blooms well two or three times a year.
Notes: This was the first crispum-"obesum" hybrid with fairly flat petals and bold markings. The nectar guides have become blotchy stripes.
'Lily'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: C.F. Chang, Taiwan, before 2008
Plant form: Large for this hybrid group; spreading shrub with weak stems. Nearly evergreen. Known only on grafts.
Flower: Large, round, 90 mm diameter x 32 mm petal width. Petals wihte with central red blotch and a few spots. Throat yellow with no nectar guides. Flowers profusely two or three times a year.
Notes: Another superb early hybrid by master hybridizer C.F. Chang.
Adenium 'Lily', 6-year-old graft in a 16-inch pot.
Adenium 'Lily', a new flower (above) and a week-old flower (right).
Adenium 'Little Red Berry', 5-year-old graft, 4 feet tall in a 14-inch pot.
'Little Red Berry'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: Ashish Hansoti, Tropica Nursery, before 2008.
Plant form: Large shrub for this hybrid group, vigorous, erect, tall and narrow form. Can attain 4 feet tall in 5 years.
Flower: Small, star-shaped, 52 mm diameter x 12 mm petal width. Petals intense velvety-red with very narrow white edge and almost no fading toward throat. Throat red upper half, white lower with blackish nectar guides. Prolific bloomer. Semi-deciduous.
Notes:
Adenium 'Little Red Berry' bears highly saturated flowers. It also has a high flower count (more than 10 per inflorescence), right above.
'Neptune'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: Unknown, Taiwan before 2008
Plant form: Large and sturdy for this hybrid type; spreading shrub growing to 4 feet tall and wide in 10 years. Grown only on grafts. Evergreen.
Flower: Round, 79 mm diameter x 34 mm petal width. Petals white with broad bright red margin and red central stripe and large white base. throat white with no nectar guides. Blooms almost year round.
Notes: Another superb crispum-obesum hybrid, more robust than the great majority of cultivars.
Above left: A 6-year-old grafted adenium 'Neptune' in a 14-inch pot. Above right: About 7 years old, grafted onto 'Arabian Ruby' rootstock in a 17-inch box.
'OMG!'
Parentage: Complex Adenium crispum x "obesum" hybrid (MAD588 x 'Hansoti Pink')
Creator: Dimmitt, 2013
Plant form: Small, erect shrub (usually taller than wide) with fairly sturdy stems. The original seedling is slow-growing and has almost no caudex. Grafted plants are vigorous; they need pruning to encourage branching. Evergreen and active except for a short winter rest.
Flower: Circular, 63 mm diameter x 35 mm petal width. Petals white, almost completely obscured by a wide lavender margin and a large red central blotch that breaks into numerous purple streaks that extend nearly to the edges. Throat white with very prominent nectar guides. Blooms repeatedly almost year round except for midwinter.
Notes:
Above: 'OMG'.
Above: The parents of 'OMG!'. Left: MAD588; right: 'Hansoti Pink'. 'OMG!' is a rare combination of the best of both parents plus a better shape than either.
'Peppermint'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: Unknown, Taiwan, before 2008
Plant form: Small compact spreading shrub. Known only as grafted plants.
Flower: Round but with pointed tips, 60 mm diameter x 26 mm petal width. Petals white with large red center blotch and some red dots. Throat yellow with faint nectar guides. Blooms in two or three big flushes during the warm months.
Notes: A beautiful little plant that grows to about two feet tall and wide in 10 years.
Above: A 4-year-old grafted adenium 'Peppermint' in an 8-inch pot.
Red Laser
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: Unknown; seedling purchased in Taiwan in 2008. Selected and named by Dimmitt.
Plant form: Erect shrub, taller than wide, with noticeable caudex. Semi-evergreen but has distinct winter dormancy.
Flower: Large, round, 82 mm diameter x 34 mm petal width. Petals white with narrow red center stripe and a few red dots. Throat yellow with no nectar guides. Blooms several times a year.
Notes: This cv. unusually large for this hybrid, growing to 4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide in 10 years. It's completely sterile; won't cross with any other adenium.
Above: The original seedling of adenium 'Red Laser', 6 years old in a 12-inch pot.
Right: The original seedling of adenium 'Red Laser', 12 years old in a 14-inch pot. It has a decent caudex.
Starfish
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: R.J. Lieng, Taiwan, before 2008.
Plant form: Medium-sized spreading shrub with fairly sturdy branches. Known only as grafted plants. Evergreen but dormant in winter.
Flower: Star-shaped, 85 mm diameter x 21 mm petal width. Petals blush pink with narrow pink edges and a bold ragged-edged red midstripe. Throat red with no nectar guides. Blooms profusely at least twice a year.
Notes:
Above: Two-year-old grafted 'Starfish' in an 8-inch pot.
'Strawberry Sundae'
(= MAD564 & MAD668)
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrids.
MAD564 = A. "obesum" 'Daeng Siam' x 'Peppermint'
MAD668 - A. 'Beauty Baby' x 'MAD487'
Creator: Dimmitt 2009 & 2010
Plant form: Both clones fairly large spreading shrubs with fairly sturdy branches, small caudexes, and large roots. Tend to be evergreen.
Flower: Both clones round, large, 80-85 mm diameter x 30 mm petal width. Petals white with wide bright red border and central red blotches and streaks. Throats yellow with very faint nectar guides. Bloom profusely two or three times a year.
Notes: These two clones have unrelated parents but are nearly indistinguishable, so have been given the same cv. name.
Above left: 'Strawberry Sundae' #564.
Above left: 'Strawberry Sundae' #668.
'Taiwan Sparks'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: Seedling purchased in Taiwan in 2008; selected and named by Dimmitt.
Plant form: A vigorous, medium-sized shrub with fairly sturdy branches. Known only as grafted plants. Evergreen.
Flower: Round, 74 mm diameter x 35 mm petal width. Petals white at the base, but otherwise almost obscured by light red margins, a red blotch at the tips (varies from small to large with weather), and many red lines. Throat yellow with prominent nectar guides. Blooms massively at least twice a year.
Notes: This seedling stood out among hundreds of thousands of plants at one of the nurseries that covered hectares of land.
Above: 'Taiwan Sparks' in full bloom.
Above: 'Taiwan Sparks' grafted onto a 2-foot tall 'Arabian Ruby' rootstock about 6 years earlier.
Above three images: Flowers of 'Taiwan Sparks' at different ages and seasons. All beautiful!
'Twinkling Moonlight'
Parentage: Adenium crispum x "obesum" complex hybrid.
Creator: C.F. Chang, Taiwan, before 2008.
Plant form: A small, slow-growing shrub with fairly sturdy branches. Known only as grafted plants. Evergreen.
Flower: Small, round, 60 mm diameter x 27 mm petal width. Outer 3/4 of petals bright red, raggedly merging to white bases. Throat white with no nectar guides. Blooms massively at least twice a year.
Notes:
Above two images: 'Twinkling Moonlight' two-year-old graft (left); an older multiple graft onto a large rootstock in a Taiwan nursery.
Above two images: 'Twinkling Moonlight' flowers, new (left), and week-old (right).