The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens

Common name: Impala Lily, אדניון רב-פרחים, : אדניון רב-פרחים

Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander)

Synonym: Adenium obesum var. multiflorum

Distribution: Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique South Africa and Swaziland.

Habitat: Rocky or sandy areas in dry woodlands.

Life form: Shrub

Uses: Poison prepared from the tree's latex was used to poison fish and for preparing poisoned arrows.

Conservation: threatened in Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Etymology: Named after the city Aden in Yemen, where one of the species in this genus grows.

In memory: of Nizza Yaffe-Ovadia, a teacher of nature and life.

Description: A shrub, 0.5-3 m. tall. Its shape resembles a miniature Baobab tree. The bark is shiny grey to brown. Most of the year the plant is bare of leaves and flowers. The leaves are up to 10 cm long, shiny green above and pale below and usually much broader towards the tip. The flowers grow in groups, and their size is 5-7 cm. They vary greatly in color, with different shades of white, pink and red. usually with pointed white lobes and red margins. The flowers have a sweet scent. Flowering occurs in the early warm rainy season. The fruit usually consists of paired, cylindrical follicles, up to 24 cm long.