Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

algodón chino, algodón de seda, algodón higuerillo, algodoncillo, árbol de seda, capullo, lechoso, palomitas, palomitas de seda, vejigo, vejigón

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

Morphology General

Like C procera but corolla ovoid-truncate in bud, the lobes rotate or somewhat reflexed, margins revolute. Corona lobes ovate, 8–11 mm high, narrowing gradually towards the rounded upper margin, not split apically, but with an auricle ± 1 mm long, either side of the scabrid margin; basal spur 2–4 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinia

Pollinia ± 1.6 × 0.6 mm Corpusculum 0.6–0.8 mm long; translator arms ± 0.4 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles ovate, 7–10 × 2.5–4 cm, acute and somewhat beaked

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 5–7 × 3–4 mm.

Ecology

Bare and degraded land, often near villages, on sandy soil or coral rock; 1–100 m or ± 1100–1200 m on the shores of Lake Victoria and in the Kenyan Rift Valley

Distribution

Range: Introduced and becoming naturalised in New World tropics Flora districts: K3 K7 T1 T3 T6 Z Range: Mozambique. Almost certainly introduced in Africa, often associated with Indian settlements. Native to S and SE Asia from India to Indonesia

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1100–1200 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Cundinamarca, Huila.

Habit

Herb.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.

Goyder, D. J., Gilbert, M. G. & Venter, H. J. T. (2020). Apocynaceae (part 2). In: M. A. García (ed.), Flora Zambesiaca, Vol. 7(3). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Type

Sri Lanka, Hb. Hermann 2: p.74, no.112 (BM lectotype), designated by Huber in Revis. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 1(1): 35 (1973); see also Jarvis, Order out of Chaos: 321 (2007).

Recognition

Like Calotropis procera but corolla ovoid-truncate in bud, the lobes rotate or somewhat reflexed, margins revolute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona

Corona lobes 8–11 mm high, ovate, narrowing gradually towards the rounded upper margin, not split apically, but with an auricle, c.1 mm long, either side of the scabrid margin; basal spur 2–4 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pollinarium

Corpusculum 0.6–0.8 mm long; translator arms c.0.4 mm long; pollinia c.1.6 mm long, 0.6 mm wide

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Follicles 7–10 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide, ovate, acute and somewhat beaked Seeds 5–7 mm long, 3–4 mm wide.

Distribution

Mozambique. Almost certainly introduced in Africa – often associated with Indian settlements where it is used medicinally. Native to southern and SE Asia from India to Indonesia; introduced and becoming naturalised in New World tropics.

Ecology

Sandy soil on coral rock or bare and degraded land, often at the edge of a village; 1–100 m.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident