Calotropis gigantea

Calotropis gigantea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Calotropis
Species:
C. gigantea
Binomial name
Calotropis gigantea
(L.) Dryand.
Synonyms[1]
  • Asclepias gigantea L.
  • Calotropis gigantea (L.) R. Br. ex Schult.
  • Madorius giganteus (L.) Kuntze
  • Periploca cochinchinensis Lour.
  • Streptocaulon cochinchinense (Lour.) G. Don
Follicle
Seeds set to disperse
Calotropis gigantea plant in southern part of India near Bangalore
Calotropis gigantea flower in Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal
Calotropis gigantea flower in Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal

Calotropis gigantea, the crown flower, is a species of Calotropis native to Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, China, Pakistan, and Nepal.[2]

It is a large shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall. It has clusters of waxy flowers that are either white or lavender in colour. Each flower consists of five pointed petals and a small "crown" rising from the center which holds the stamens. The aestivation found in calotropis is valvate i.e. sepals or petals in a whorl just touch one another at the margin, without overlapping. The plant has oval, light green leaves and milky stem. The latex of Calotropis gigantea contains cardiac glycosides, fatty acids, and calcium oxalate. The roots also contain Calotropone.[3]

  1. ^ "Calotropis gigantea (L.)". Plants of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  3. ^ Wang, Zhu-Nian; Wang, Mao-Yuan; Mei, Wen-Li; Han, Zhuang; Dai, Hao-Fu (4 December 2008). "A New Cytotoxic Pregnanone from Calotropis gigantea". Molecules. 13 (12): 3033–3039. doi:10.3390/molecules13123033. PMC 6244834. PMID 19052526.