Adenia fruticosa aka Desert Rose

Adenia fruticosa is a succulent shrub. It belongs to the passionflower family, Passifloraceae. Its common names include Green-stem and Sekhukhune Greenstem. Kew gives Limpopo as its native range. The climate there is subtropical. LLIFLE also lists it in Mpumalanga, in northeastern South Africa. It grows on rocky hills and slopes in dry savanna. It also grows in thorn bushveld. These sites have sandy or rocky soils that drain well.

The plant scrambles or climbs, and may form a small tree. Its usual height is 3.3–6.6 feet [1–2 metres]. Some plants reach 20 feet [6 metres]. A swollen stem, called a caudex, forms its thick base. This soft, woody base may split into several stout trunks. Each trunk tapers into thick branches shaped like whips. The caudex can reach 1.3–2 feet [0.4–0.6 metres] across. Its uneven shape can look like a club or flask.

The bark is smooth and green, grey-green, or yellow-green. The fleshy branches can grow 16.4 feet [5 metres] long. They often twist, bear ribs, and branch many times. Short tendrils help them grip nearby plants as they climb. Leaves may be simple or split into three or five leaflets. They range in colour from pale grey-green to blue-green. The leaf undersides are paler than the tops. The blades have smooth edges and no hairs. Their shape ranges from broad and egg-shaped to almost round.

Small flowers shaped like bells grow in loose groups in spring. Their colour ranges from greenish to a dull salmon shade. Fine hairs cover the corona within each flower. The species is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Male flowers are larger than female flowers. The fruit is a round or oval capsule with leathery skin. It splits into three or four parts. The broad, almost round seeds have pits on their surface.

Pots can keep garden plants small, with a bonsai-like form. Planting them out gives their climbing stems more room to grow. Their swollen trunks and climbing form give them their main visual appeal. The evidence gives no firm frost limit or hardiness zone. It gives no pest or disease advice specific to this species. No source supplied here shows which parts, if any, are edible. None confirms that the plant is safe for people or pets.