Adenium obesum, more commonly known as a desert rose, is a poisonous species of flowering plant belonging to the tribe Nerieae of the subfamily Apocynoideae of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.
[3] It is native to the Sahel regions south of the Sahara (from Mauritania and Senegal to Sudan), tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa, as well as the Arabian Peninsula.
It can grow to 0.12–5 m (0.39–16.40 ft) in height, with pachycaul (disproportionately large) stems and a stout, swollen basal caudex (a rootstock that protrudes from the soil).
Adenium swazicum is a critically endangered African species native to Eswatini and Mozambique, growing up to 0.7 m (2.29 ft) tall.
Adenium somalense is also native to Africa, inhabiting Tanzania, Kenya, and Somalia, and reaching heights of 5 m (16.40 ft), which makes it the largest of these four subspecies.
Adenium socotranum is native exclusively to the island of Socotra, and can grow to be 4.6 m (15 ft), but despite its small range, it is of least concern regarding endangerment.