Tropicals > Calotropis > Calotropis procera > Calotropis procera
Calotropis procera
Sodom Apple, Arabic: Ushar, Shakjr, Ashkhar/Askar, Asur
Origin: Native to North Africa, Tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia and Indochina and the Middle East.
| Family |
| Asclepiadaceae |
| Genus |
| Calotropis |
| Species |
| procera |
| Category |
| Tropicals |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 8a - 11 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 7 and above |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1c - H5 |
| Height |
| 2.5 - 5 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Calotropis procera is a food source of the Plain Tiger Butterfly (Danaus chrysippus). |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| Habitat |
| Sandy plains and low dunes, often seen on gravel in the lower wadis. Since it is poisonous it is often seen growing in rough pasture where the cattle avoid it. |
| Leaf Description |
| (8 - 17) x (10 - 25) cm, round to ovoid in shape and pale green with an entire margin and an obtuse apex. Young leaves are covered with fine white wooly hairs, mature leaves are smooth. |
| Flower Description |
| 1.5 cm in width, clustered on stalks with five pointed petals that have a dark purple interior paling towards the tips and centre. The outside of the flower is green-white. |
| Fruit Description |
| Light green, smooth, often paired and shaped like a small mango. The seed is cream coloured, flat and attached to glossy white hairs, a characteristic typical of the Asclepiadaceae family. |
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