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Gomphocarpus fruticosus
Apocynaceae FAMILY

Gomphocarpus fruticosus

Gomphocarpus fruticosus

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant contain alkaloids[1]. The plant is said to be used in parts of Africa as an arrow or ordeal-poison[1]. The plant as a whole is poisonous to grazing animals[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Succeeds in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates. Requires a well-drained soil and a position in full sun[3]. Plants are deep-rooted and do not transplant readily[2]. Seedling plants can flower within one year[3]. The stems are hollow and, when cut, exude a milky latex[3, 2]. Plants tend to become leggy after a few years and are usually replaced every 2 - 3 years when grown as an ornamental[3].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow and make sure they do not dry out. Make sure the seedlings are potted on as soon as they are large enough to handle, and plant them out when about 20cm tall. Cuttings of young growth, rooted in a sandy medium[3]. Root cuttings[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Gomphocarpus+fruticosus>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
  2. [2]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  5. [5]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎