Calotropis gigantea

Botanical Description

Calotropis gigantea is a fast-growing, attractive, evergreen flowering shrub or small tree that grows about 5 metres tall, occasionally to 10 metres. It is much branched at the base, with stems up to 20cm in diameter[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for a wide range of uses, but is especially valued as a medicinal plant and source of fibre. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental in the tropics, and is also sometimes grown for the fibre obtained from its stems, and for its medicinal uses[ 302 Title Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide Publication Author Whistler. W. Arthur. Publisher Timber Press Inc. Oregon. Year 2000 ISBN 0-88192-448-2 Description An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses. , 307 Title Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. Publication Author Barwick. M. Publisher Thames & Hudson, London Year 2004 ISBN 0-500-51181-0 Description A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life. ]. Although the fibre is of very good quality, the plant is unsuitable for commercial cultivation because individual fibres are too short and the proportion of fibre in the stem is too low[ 454 Title Useful Fiber Plants of the World Publication Author Dodge C.R. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ Publisher USDA; Washington. Year 1897 ISBN Description A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet. ].