Beautiful specimens, Tracy. Nice size Socotranum.

The box w cactus and such. The one of left middle row looks like a Euphorbia obesa.

Rick

Should I repot them immediately? I think these need to go into fabric pots. The Soco is pushing out tons of new leaves so I think it is ok.

Yep, I guessed correct so I assume I can now I claim it as my prize...pretty please? Lol! How far was the 'trip'? Lovely plants, you're a very lucky girl :-)

Gill

Thank you Rick! There was no leaving that place without at least one of these three giants. They were just pushing out leaves like crazy. All of the smaller specimen were bare and dormant. Thanks Gill, the place is about 50 miles from here, or an hour drive. I regret not leaving earlier in the morning as the heat was quite intense. Otherwise I would have been taking photos. There were about 6 huge greenhouses that I walked through just packed with caudiciforms, succulents, bonsai, cacti.

Rick nailed it, Euphorbia obesa. The size is enormous in comparison with some I've seen and the price was too good to pass up. We get a discount for being club members. The greenhouse owner is a member and sponsor of the club. The others are mostly Gymnocalycium which I find quite attractive considering their minimal spination.

Tracy

Gorgeous additions to the collection Tracy! I also saw and fell in love with euphorbia obesa recently, but thought I'd have a go at it myself first and got some seeds instead. Not sure yet how patient I will be...

I'm somewhat glad we don't have a nursery with a choice like that too near us: I'd be there every week I think.

Thank you Conny. I have been eyeballing the Euphorbia obesa for a bit. I saw one today in Gladys' greenhouse that was a prize winning specimen that just knocked my socks off. I took the next best thing which was this one and very reasonably priced. The colors are wonderful and the skin is so pretty.

Tracy

I would not pot up the other plants, Tracy. They should be fine in those pots for awhile.

Nice A. boehmianum w such a good base on it.

So wonderful. We would go crazy shopping if we lived closer. What a blast or at least we would be broke, but happy.

What a treat to have this nursery close by.

Rick

Very nice obesa! You need to go back and get a girl; that one looks like a boy. Basically you need to get back there and spend some more, period lol

I would have guessed you bought all of them!! great looking plants.

Thanks, Rick. I was wondering if I should just let them be this late in the year. I appreciate your advice. I will leave them in their current pots. From the looks of things they are grown pretty hard in Gladys' place, everyone looked extremely thirsty. I think with some TLC I can get the A. boehmianum branches strengthened and full.

Pagan I would be broke if I made another trip! How can you tell he is a boy? And what do I look for to identify a girl? Ok no more visits for at least another 6 weeks. That is when my plant club is having their fall picnic and it is hosted at Gladys' place. During that visit I will have my senses about me and take a picture of that prize winning obesa, had to be 8 inches tall.

Tracy

Sandy if the price was right I would have hauled all 3 of them bad boys home, trust me. I am still giggling.

Tracy

I'd like a closer, solo shot, Trace. But boy flowers are more slender, more greenish yellow. Girl flowers in full sun emerge somewhat darker and fatter. I'm surprised the nursery did not offer you both!

Here is the Euphoria obesa close up.

She had a bunch of them available. This one is busting out of the pot, the sides are bulging.

You have a girl for sure. These are female flowers with stigmas. And congrats on your new acquisitions!

Thanks Martin! Tis the season, will be over soon so I am latching on hard! Please tell me more about the male/female Euphorbia obesa. Is there something unique about the manner in which the flowers are pollinated?

Tracy

Post a pic when you have some daylight, would you Pagan?

i guessed correctly as well. parent's day is july 24. send 'daddy' one … *grin*

I think the true soco is mostly a novelty, unless you have a conservatory and can keep it under glass and let it get 12 feet tall BUT I would like to see it hybridized with arabicum because it could make for a cool chubby tree. Are there any genuine soco arabicum hybrids?

There are people grafting the socotranum onto obesum root stock to get blooms earlier.

Don't you just love the large leaf scars and skin on these trees. The leaves and overall appearance is all it needs for me. Blooms are secondary and if never, does not matter.

Rick

Tracy, look for that yellow pollen on the anthers.

But actually the flowers look quite different when magnified. IMHO, all plant enthusiasts - whether amateurs or professionals - should own a magnifying glass especially made for magnifying flower morphology. ;-) It is a spectacular world of its own! For botanical fieldwork/plant identification, I use an achromatic lens, 10-20x (preferably 20x). Small, lightweight, handy and perfect as a "pendant": ;-)

Eh, sorry, I got a bit carried away here. ;-)

Todd, hybridizing arabicums is (very?) difficult. That is why there are only a few known cultivars of, say, arabicum x obesum.

Well that chubby little euphorbia above, I've just been admiring it in close up mode and you won't guess what immediately sprang to mind when looking at the intricate pattern on it?.........the plaid material of a Scotsman's kilt! The detail on that thing is amazing, Mother Nature sure worked hard when putting that together. What would be the purpose of such detail on the actual plant itself, camouflage sprang to mind, but where would such a plant grow in the wild?

Gill

It truly is stunning, Tracy.

I still have a long long way to go. One of the seeds germinated overnight, but you can barely see it with the naked eye (the seed is so tiny).

I love the plaid look. I will have to look this up.

Tracy when you get a chance can we get a close up of the Soco's skin and leaf. Thanks

Plaid or tartan, it's the same thing as far as I know.....so with a hint of imagination, here you are Marica...

Sorry to have swerved slghtly OT Tracy, but was admiring the pattern on your new chubby euphorbia!

Gill

I laughed out loud, Gill. I used to wonder why my mother needed a skirt for baking. She said, "No, not cream of tartan. It's called cream of tartar". That did not help since I immediately thought of invading hordes of large growling people. I will add that mine was one of those households with a large OED open on a pedestal.

ANYWAY....

It's very very early in it's blooming cycle, Trace.

martin:

we call it a loupe … i use mine for coins and plants, and before we had desktop publishing, we would examine (dating me here) halftones and PMTs for publication (newspaper) ...

great tools ...

Gill I couldn't agree more about the color! This is one of first things I adored about this plant, it looks like it has a tattoo that is so perfect. Pagan I love the coloring on yours! It looks painted. Hope you will post again when he/she is in full bloom.

Martin I will be getting one of these magnifying glasses to keep with me.

The more I look at this Socotranum the more I love it. I don't see it as a novelty at all. It is a rare treat! Adenium Socotranum doesn't reproduce easily as a single species, this is why there are so few of them around. There have been no successful crosses with it.

I did take some close ups this morning so you can see the awesome skin, the nodes remind me of a pineapple tree.

See all the brand new leaves being generated?

Also, no one ever yells "Stop the presses!". It's mostly expletives with the word "remat".

Took me a minute to get your joke with Dave's comment. Good to see you Dave! I've missed your sense of humor.

Gill these Euphobia obesa originated from roughly the same area as Adenium obesum. South Africa regions, more specifically the Cape Province area. Not sure about the camouflaging behavior, but it certainly has caught my attention.

Tracy

That soco is an outstanding beauty Tracy. I can see why you're happy you missed out on the one at the show and got this one instead!

Thanks for the pics. We should start a thread the shows the differences in our trees. Show each type close up and the whole tree. Some of you do have really nice Adenium. That I may never own.

Nice Soco It is different. I like it. show us when it blooms. Is it a slower grower?

With the plaid your going to make me expand on the plants I own, Aren't you!

Ive read hybridization, at least with arabicum, can be difficult in the sense that the cross doesn't always produce viable seed, but the act of making the cross isn't itself difficult from what I can tell. I've also read that the shada arabicum form is probably a natural introgression between obesum and arabicum.

i make em stop the presses and change the plates … pisses off the line guys who like to 'sleep on the job.' there's just no QC any more. everyone is there for a paycheck … no pride in what they do ...

Marica the Socotranum is definitely the slowest growing Adenium. This plant is probably 15 years old at least. I was so slap happy that I didn't even think to ask the age! Rick would you agree on the age? Now I must check to see if her label has the seed sowing date.

Tracy

P. S. There is no label on the plant to give me an idea of its age. I will have to wait until my September picnic and ask Gladys.

Enjoying the uniqueness of the Adenium boehmianum leaves. ❤️❤️❤️

Aren't they the coolest thing. I just love them, their size, shape and deep veining.

This is what I go through when I go out to where my plants are, thinking of picking some out to get rid of.

I look at them, "Oh, I love the leaves on that one", "Oh, that is so nice" and it goes on and on until I walk away and nothing goes.

All such gorgeous new acquisitions, Tracy.

Rick

"Wait until my September picnic"? Why not give the nursery a call? I would. ;-)

Yes, Adenium boehmianum has some conspicuous and very attractive leaves - not to mention the flowers!

Btw, a german nursery which I have bought from in the past has 25 different adeniums on their list now. Grafted trees and A. somalense var. crispum x boehmianum ($55), A. boehmianum ($40), A. swazicum ($40), A. obesum 'Shada' ($18) and A. socotranum ($22). The first three adeniums are larger-big ones. The socotranums are small seedlings.

I have never seen an A. somalense var. crispum x boehmianum. Honestly, I am tempted to buy one or more from the list but I really do not have the room for them. ;-)

Rick we are two peas in a pod! I am really surprised by the fuzzy feeling of the leaves. I am thinning my herd slowly. One plant at a time.

Great idea Martin. I will call her today, I am now curious about the age myself. My aunt has tasked me with locating a Pachypodium Brevicaule or Pachypodium Eburneum for her. Oh dear. This means I will just have to drive out to Drummond's again this weekend. Darned the luck! What's a girl to do? I will be sure to bring a magnifying glass so I can gaze upon the flowers.

Have a great day. It's not Monday anymore.

P.S. Martin those prices are phenomenal you have no excuses. Buy one of the hybrids!

Martin, would you mind sharing the contact details of the German nursery with me? Many thanks!

Tracy, seriously: thinning the herd???