Finally got my Desert Rose!!

[Harriet]

This might be a very silly question from a newbie but how does one identify a real desert rose (Adenium) from the rest of so called "bonsai" plants?

'"bonsai" plants' can be identified in the same manner as any other plant. Bonsai is what is done to a plant, not what the plant's species is.

According to Wikipedia:
Bonsai (盆栽?, lit. plantings in tray, from bon, a tray or low-sided pot and sai, a planting or plantings, About this sound pronunciation (help·info))[1] is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ. The Japanese tradition dates back over a thousand years, and has its own aesthetics and terminology.

[Harriet]

Tlaloc, you are going to love the plant. All those branches will be covered with flowers soon.

I find that my adeniums drop leaves at times. I think they do that when the weather changes, they go into a dormant period, or for some other reason I haven't figured out yet. They always come back with better temperatures, humidity, or watering schedules. Give it time, this spring you will be really happy with the flowers. I would not prune that plant until you have had it for a year or so, just to get used to it, and to see how it will grow on its own.

Have fun with it!

[Ron43]

Nice plant. I just bought my first 2 Adeniums about a month ago with no leaves, but they are starting to leaf out now.

[GreenThumb]

you should be happy that it even HAS leaves