Trees & Plants

Bowstring hemp

Ruvaa

Calotropis gigantea (L.)

Common in open areas The root bark is a substitute for ‘ipecacuanha’ a drug containing the alkaloid ceretin. The root bark is febrifuge, anthelmintic, laxative and is useful in cough, cutaneous diseases, intestinal worms, ascites and anasarca. The powdered root in promotes gastri

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uses: The root bark is a substitute for ‘ipecacuanha’ a drug containing the alkaloid ceretin. The root bark is febrifuge, anthelmintic, laxative and is useful in cough, cutaneous diseases, intestinal worms, ascites and anasarca. The powdered root in promotes gastric secretions and is useful in asthma, bronchitis and dyspepsia. The leaves are useful in the treatment of paralysis, swellings and intermittent fevers. to
family: Asclepiadaceae
synonym: Asclepias gigantea L.
description: Shrubs with pale greyish shoots, exudation milky. Leaves simple, × opposite, 10-16 8-10 cm, smaller in branchlets, elliptic-ovate to obovate, apex in acute or obtuse, base cordate; lateral nerves Th 5-7 pairs, adpressed, pubescent when young, becoming glabrous on maturity. Flowers pale purple or greenish-white, 3 cm across; pedicels to 3 cm long, stout. Calyx lobes to 3 mm long. Corolla campanulate, tube short, lobes ovate to oblong, recurved. Staminal corona of 5 vertical lobes, 1 cm long. Carpels × free. Fruit saccate, to 6 3 cm, ovoid; seeds many, silky, commate at one end.
native range: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Th ailand, India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa.
distribution: Tropical Asia and Africa
english names: Bowstring hemp · Crown flower · Giant calotrope · Milkweed · Madar.
flowering fruiting: Th roughout the year
occurrence maldives: Common in open areas