Family:
Apocynaceae Juss.

Calotropis R.Br.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & Subtropical Old World.

[FTEA]

Apocynaceae (part 2), David Goyder, Timothy Harris, Siro Masinde, Ulrich Meve, Johan Venter. Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2012

Morphology General Habit
Erect shrubs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves large, succulent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences terminal and extra-axillary, pedunculate, with several clusters of umbelliform cymes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla lobed for ± 2/3 of its length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
Corolline corona absent Gynostegial corona lobes laterally compressed with an upturned spur at the base, radiating out from the gynostegium to which they are adnate for their entire length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinarium
Pollinaria with oblong, slightly winged corpuscula and short, cylindrical translator arms.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia
Pollinia flattened, pear-shaped
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Stylar head pentagonal, depressed or raised slightly above the top of the anthers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Follicles large, ovate or subglobose, smooth, usually only one of the pair developing, with spongy fibrous mesocarp and a papery endocarp. Seeds ovate, plano-convex, pubescent, with a coma of silky hairs.
Note
Three species in Africa, Arabia and southern and SE Asia, introduced elsewhere in the tropics.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Erect shrubs with large succulent leaves; latex white
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences terminal and extra-axillary, pedunculate, usually with at least 2 major branches each with successive subumbelliform clusters of flowers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla lobed for c. 2/3 of its length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
Corolline corona absent Gynostegial corona of 5 laterally compressed staminal lobes with an upturned spur at the base, radiating out from the gynostegium to which they are adnate for their entire length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinarium
Pollinaria with a pair of pendent, flattened, pear-shaped pollinia
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmatic head pentagonal, depressed or raised slightly above the top of the anthers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Follicles large, ovoid or subglobose, smooth, usually only one of the pair developing, with spongy fibrous mesocarp and a papery endocarp
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovate, planoconvex, pubescent, with a tuft of hairs at one end.
Distribution
Three species in Africa, Arabia and southern and south-eastern Asia, introduced elsewhere in the tropics.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Central African Repu, Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Congo, Djibouti, East Himalaya, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Gulf States, Hainan, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, Kuwait, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Malawi, Malaya, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Andaman Is., Angola, Aruba, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, California, Cayman Is., Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Florida, Gilbert Is., Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Marianas, Mexico Central, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Netherlands Antilles, New Guinea, Nicaragua, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Panamá, Paraguay, Philippines, Phoenix Is., Puerto Rico, Queensland, Society Is., Solomon Is., South Australia, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Wake I., Western Australia, Windward Is.

Calotropis R.Br. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Asclepiadeae: 28 (1810)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

Literature

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 3, (2006) Author: by D. Goyder [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Mem. Wern. Soc. 1: 39 (1809)

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0