The Red Monadenium Bonsai Tree, scientific name Monadenium rubellum, is a succulent tree with interesting multiple flesh bulbous trunks and drooping thin stems with green and red stripes.
It produces attractive red-pink flowers during spring and summer. It can tolerate drought and can be grown indoors.
Additional Information
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Scientific name: Euphorbia neomontana, Euphorbia rubellum, Monadenium montanum, Monadenium rubellum.
Common Names: Red Monadenium.
Origin: Native to Africa, western Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
Appearance: It has a very interesting swollen tuber-like base that can have round and globe-like shapes or can be quite free-formed and have multiple sections.
Clusters of thin bending stems arise from a semi-woody base like a colony of twisting, light-green snakes. Sword-shaped leathery green leaves are marked with reddish-brown stripes.
Flowering: During spring and summer it produces small pink-red flowers, that resemble a very exotic type of orchid. The more sunlight it gets, the more red the flowers are.
Outdoor/Indoor Use: Both. You can grow it outdoors if you live in a warm climate.
Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade.
Water Requirements: It is a drought-tolerant plant. Keep the soil moist but well drained. Don’t overwater and don’t let the soil dry out completely.
Hardiness: Grows best in the USDA Zones 10 – 11. Should be protected from temperatures below 50F.
Insects and Diseases: Generally healthy. Sometimes can develop powdery mildew.
Propagation: By seeds and cuttings.
