Impala lily (Adenium multiflorum): colours, meaning, where it grows and when it blooms

Impala lily is a small succulent tree of southern Africa's dry woods and grassland, standing roughly half a metre to three metres tall. Its five-petalled flowers open in winter in red, pink, white or two colours, and the milky latex in its stems is toxic enough to poison arrows.

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Native to dry woods and grassland in central and eastern southern Africa
Flowers in winter, typically five-petalled, red, pink, white or two colours
Milky latex holds cardiac glycosides and has been used as arrow and fish poison
Commonly called the impala lily, and sometimes treated as part of Adenium obesum
Often grown as an indoor bonsai; outdoors it suits USDA zones 10 and 11

What does Impala lily look like?

Impala lily is a succulent tree, usually somewhere between half a metre and three metres high, that may keep its leaves all year or lose them. The leaves are simple, with smooth edges, and grow in opposite pairs. Flowers open in winter, each typically with five petals, in red, pink, white or a blend of two colours. After flowering come two capsules holding long, grooved, hairy brown seeds. Cut any part of the plant and a milky latex seeps out.

Where does Impala lily come from?

It grows wild in dry woods and grassland across central and eastern parts of southern Africa, where it is native. The plant sits in Apocynaceae, the family that gathers many succulents with milky sap, and it belongs to the genus Adenium. Some botanists treat it as a variety or subspecies of Adenium obesum rather than a species in its own right. In English it is often called the impala lily.

When and how Impala lily blooms

Flowering comes in winter. The plant wants full sun and ground that drains very well, and it survives long dry spells far better than wet roots. It can be raised from seed, and growers often keep it in a pot indoors as a bonsai. Outdoors it suits USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11. The tobacco whitefly is a pest it is prone to.

Impala lily shrub in Zimbabwe.. Photo: Neelix at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How Impala lily is used

The milky latex is poisonous, containing cardiac glycosides, and has been used to poison arrows and to stun fish. Today the plant is mostly grown for its looks: as an indoor bonsai in a pot, or as a garden plant in warm climates outdoors. Because the sap is toxic, it is a plant to handle with care, especially around children and animals.

Kinds of Impala lily

Adenium multiflorum is sometimes placed as a variety or subspecies of Adenium obesum, so plants sold under either name can be closely related. The sources name no cultivars or regional forms. Within the species the clearest variation is flower colour: blooms may be red, pink, white, or two-coloured on the same flower.

What Impala lily means

In southern Africa the latex has been put to practical use as a poison, for arrow tips and for stunning fish, which shows how potent the sap is. Beyond that the sources record no emblem, festival or religious role for the plant. Its following today is among growers, who value it as a bonsai subject and as a flowering succulent for warm gardens.

Questions people ask about Impala lily

Where does the impala lily come from?

It is native to central and eastern parts of southern Africa, where it grows in dry woods and grassland. Gardeners outside that region keep it in pots, since it is grown outdoors only in USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11.

What do its flowers look like?

They appear in winter and are typically five-petalled. Colour varies between red, pink, white, or a flower with two colours. The fruits that follow are two capsules filled with long, grooved, hairy brown seeds.

Is the plant poisonous?

Yes. Its milky latex contains cardiac glycosides, the same group of compounds found in other succulent members of Apocynaceae, and people have used that latex to poison arrows and to stun fish.

What is it used for?

Mostly as a plant. It is grown as an indoor bonsai and outdoors in USDA zones 10 and 11. Its latex has been used as an arrow poison and to stun fish. The sources record no food or ceremonial use.

How big does it get, and what does it need?

It is usually between half a metre and three metres tall. It wants full sun and excellent drainage, copes with drought very well, and is susceptible to the tobacco whitefly.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Adenium multiflorum", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes. It is not medical or foraging advice: many flowers are poisonous, and traditional uses are reported, not recommended. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

Impala lily