Calotropis procera
Species of plant / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Calotropis procera | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Genus: | Calotropis |
Species: | C. procera |
Binomial name | |
Calotropis procera | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Asclepias procera Aiton |
Calotropis procera is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia and Indochina. It typically grows to a height of 6 feet (1.8 m) to 8 feet (2.4 m) (rarely to as much as 15 feet (4.6 m)) in sunny and partly shaded habitats, including overgrazed pastures, rangeland, roadsides, river flats and coastal dunes.[3] Its green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into a gluey coating which is resistant to soap.
Common names for the plant include Apple of Sodom,[2] Sodom apple, roostertree,[3] king's crown,[4] small crownflower,[3] giant milkweed,[5] rubber bush,[2] and rubber tree.[2] The names "Apple of Sodom" and "Dead Sea Apple" stem from the ancient authors Josephus and Tacitus, who described the plant growing in the area of biblical Sodom.[6] Although not native to the areas, the plant feeds monarch butterfly caterpillars in California, Hawaii and the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.[3][5]