water when growing, keep on the dry side in winter
Soil & Site
well drained
Temperature
Can tolerate into the 40 degrees but prefers a minimum in the 50 degree F.
Flowers
pale pink, deep red petal margins, always fading to near white toward the throat, floral tube is white
Leaves
green, simple
Stems
stems (caudex) become bonsai-like with age
Dimensions
a shrub that can reach up to 5 feet, much smaller in containers
Propagation
seeds
Native Site
Native to Eastern Africa to southern Arabia.
Cultivar Origin
Discovered in 1762 by P. Forsskai, a German scientist.
Misc Facts
Sap is poisonous.
Author's Notes
I have been growing this plant for about 5 years. It grows on a west window and out doors during the summer. One year it was out during a light frost and the top turned to mush. I cut off the dead part and to my surprise it sprouted 1/2 dozen branches from nodes on the caudex stem.