Asclepiadaceae (milkweed family) » Calotropis procera

kal-LOW-troh-pis -- from the Greek kalos (beautiful) and tropis (ship) PRO-ker-uh or pro-KER-uh -- meaning, tall or high

commonly known as: apple of Sodom, auricula tree, calotrope, Dead Sea apple, desert wick, giant milkweed, king's crown, rooster tree, rubber bush, small crownflower, Sodom apple • Bengali: আকন্দ akanda • Gujarati: આકડો aakdo • Hindi: अर्क arka, अर्की arki, मुदर mudar, सफ़ैद आक safed-ak • Kannada: bili yekkada gida, kempu ekka • Malayalam: ചിറ്റെരിക്ക് chiterikk • Marathi: अर्क arka, अर्की arki • Sanskrit: अलर्क alarka, अर्क arka, अर्की arki, श्वेतार्क shwetarka • Tamil: வெள்ளை எருக்கு vellai erukku, வெள்ளெருக்கு vellerukku • Telugu: అలర్కశాకము alarkasakamu, జిల్లేడు jilledu

Origin: India to Iran, and Africa

... shrub or small tree, up to 2.5 m (max. 6) high ... stem usually simple, rarely branched, woody at base and covered with a fissured, corky bark; branches somewhat succulent and densely white tomentose ... exude a white latex when cut or broken.

... leaves opposite, simple, subsessile, stipule absent ... blade oblong-obovate to broadly obovate, apex abruptly and shortly acuminate to apiculate, base cordate, margins entire, succulent ... when young, white tomentose, later glabrescent and glaucous.

... dense inflorescence, multiflowered, axillary or terminal umbellate cymes.

... C. gigantea can be separated from C. procera by the length of the staminal corona: 10-11 mm in C. gigantea cf. 4-5 mm in C. procera.