Named Adenium cultivars are almost always propagated by grafting (with the exception of a cultivar like A. arabicum "Golden Crown"). Most specialist Adenium growers (including us) propagate and sell only grafted plants. Some very large growers who grow Adeniums for the pot plant trade grow their plants from cuttings but their cultivar range is limited and selected more for the ease with which they adapt to these commercial growing conditions than special flower color etc.

Recently some commercial Adenium growers have started offering seeds as Named Adenium seeds: I feel that this is a serious misrepresentation of the product: first, in all cases the seed parent is the only one known, the pollen parent is variable. Second, as repeat crosses have shown us, Adenium cultivars are extremely variable genetically and seedlings from any one cross may have very varied progeny. Adenium breeding is nowhere near the stage that would allow seeds to be offered by name like bedding plants.

Finally, seedlings are not the best type of plant for most amateurs to grow: seedlings will take many months to years to flower; even when they do, the frequency, quantity and size of the flowers in juvenile plants is usually less than that achieved by grafting mature scion material on vigorous rootstock. Most seedlings will also flower at a greater height than grafted material. The situation is similar to growing a rose or fruit plant from seed- essential as a breeding tool and other purposes, it should not be used to produce plants for the grower and hobbyist.

We do offer special hybrid seed but by color, not name- this much more honestly represents what the buyer is going to get from the seeds. The progeny is often superb, better than many old named cultivars but it is highly variable.

Root Cuttings:
Swollen roots of Adenium swazicum will, in time, sprout shoots. Though interesting, it is not a viable means of propagation. I discovered this ability after a large A. swazicum plant had rotted and the roots were intact and still buried in the medium- they started sprouting some months later. Though hardly a recommended route for propagation, this does show some possibilities.

Air Layering:
Airlayering is a better, faster and safer system than stem cuttings. It is still used to propagate large branches for landscape use in S.E. Asia. I have seen air layered branches with small coir filled root balls for sale in bulk at Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market, most likely for landscape applications.