small caudiciform, treelike succulent, flat leaves

by kassidy
(wisconsin)

Bought a plant about 5 inches tall described as succulent. Looks like a tree with a big boulbous bottom which led me to think it was a caudiciform. Bulbous bottom ping pong ball sized. 1 inch flat thin leaves (which do not remind me of a succulent) start at the base. There are about 15 leaves on this 5 inch plant.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Kassidy, the term 'succulent' only means that the plant has some way of storing water - the bulb like base of this plant would certainly fit that description, even though the leaves are not designed for water storage.

They are more likely to be acting as a radiator in hot climates, allowing the plant to stay cooler.

I'm thinking this plant might be some sort of Adenium, as they have in some cases an extremely large base to the stem. Over time, it will get huge, and then the plant will bloom with the most amazing flowers.

You can see more here on Dave's Garden Website: Desert Rose.

Happy Succulent Growing!
Jacki