It's a caudiciform succulent- Adenium obesum. Here is a link that might be useful: Cactus and succulent forum

Aztreelvr mentioned it above, but I want to reiterate that the Coral Fountain (Russelia equisetiformis) would work perfectly for you from what I can tell of your desires. It is perennial, and is very hardy. It doesn't take much water, and it is only a bush size. Mine is only 3 years old, and it blooms year round, throwing up pretty red flowers all over the bush (although more in the spring & summer)- the hummers love it! The only down side is that it spreads rather easily...branches can take root when they touch the ground. But, it's not that big of a chore to pull any seedlings that have started every couple of months (I give them to friends, and they have them in their gardens now!). That's my suggestion! Good luck! Tristan

LOL @ Mary and treelvr, a little DOES go a long way, hah! I love chaparral sage too, and you''re right, Mary, too much water, especially in summer, will kill it quickly. My established plants only get watered every other week in summer and once a month in winter. Fun plants, and fun discussion. If you get one Glendale_gardener, keep us posted! Happy gardening!

They are not xeric as they can't survive on only the rain. They are low water though. I never water my Podocarpus since they are well established. I have Podocarpus macrophyllus 'Maki' and Podocarpus gracilior The small Pittosporum tobira Wheelers Dwarf is not low water but the tall one is. Myrsine africana only needs occasional water once established. It has a tap root so it cannot be transplanted. Make sure you plant it where you want it to live. I never water mine but I have partial shade. I am not sure how they would do in full sun. My Nandina in the shade does not need watered but in the back I grow them in the sun and they do need occasional watering at least in July and August. I am in the Sacramento area and it does get over 100 here. However, your soil could be different than mine and may hold less moisture. Mine is what the Uni calls silty loam. A few plants have disappointed me because they are called low water plants but in my area they do need regular watering once it is over 95 or about. Gazania is one. I removed my trailing Lantana because it needed so much water. I don't know why I forgot to mention Cistus. It is a low water plant and does not care about heat. Some get big but there is a low variety. Russian Sage has same needs as Cistus. The one I have is called Blue Steel. If you do not object to plants with gray foliage you can find many that need little water or no water once established. One plant I want to get is Hesperaloe parvaflora. It has a grassy look and flowers as well. I used to have Cushion Bush. It was truly xeric. It lived only on the rain that fell in winter. In fact, to water it during the dry season would have shortened it's life span. It lasted about fifteen years. The proper name is Leucophyta brownii. The best way to learn a plants true water need is find someone who lives near you that grows it.