Common Name: Crown Flower

General Information

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[].
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[, ]. 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[].

Known Hazards

The sap (latex) is somewhat poisonous[]. It is used for poisoning arrows[].
All parts of the plant are toxic, due to the presence of several cardiac glycosides[].
The plant is also known to cause allergic contact dermatitis, and the latex causes kerato-conjunctivitis[].

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Dry coastal areas, along the sheltered shores of lagoons, overgrazed pasture land[]. Woods of dry areas, stream banks from sea level to 1,400 metres in southern China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Butterflies, Wasps
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in the drier tropics. Most commonly found in areas of the tropics with a specific dry season, at elevations up to 1,000 metres[]. An excellent plant for the seaside garden[].
Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[]. Succeeds in a variety of soils, but prefers littoral, sandy soils[]. Plants can thrive in dry sands[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[]. Plants are tolerant of salt-laden winds[].
One hectare of ground stocked with plants 30cm apart can yield 24 tonnes of green stems, from which 260 - 350 kilos of fibre can be obtained[].
The plant is of great religious significance in India, where it is sacred to the God Shiva[].
Plants can flower all year round, but the main flowering is in the hot season[].

Edible Uses

The central part of the flower is candied and used as a sweetmeat[].

Medicinal

The milky sap (latex) coagulates when warm and is said to have similar cardiac properties to digitalis (from various Digitalis spp.)[]. It is also considered to be antiseptic, emetic, purgative and vermifuge[]. It is used in the treatment of a variety of other conditions including dysentery, leprosy, elephantiasis, epilepsy, asthma and many other complaints[]. Mixed with salt, it is taken orally as an emetic for treating severe colds[].
In Nepal, the latex is applied to sprains, body pains, boils and pimples[]. The milky latex is used externally to stop bleeding, and for treating a wide range of conditions including leprosy, rheumatism, ringworm, boils, scabies, stings, burns, bruises, cuts, sores and wounds, [, ]. It is applied to the gums and teeth to treat caries and toothaches[].

The bark is used as a medicine for the treatment of neurodermatitis and syphilis[]. The powdered bark is used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, elephantiasis, and leprosy [, ].
The stem bark is diaphoretic and expectorant, and is used for dysentery, spleen complaints, convulsions, lumbago, scabies, ringworm, pneumonia, and to induce labour.

An infusion of the leaves is used to treat severe chest colds and heart conditions[]. The leaf juice is used in the treatment of intermittent fever[]. The smoke of dried, burned leaves is inhaled to calm asthma attacks[].

The crushed leaves are warmed and used as a poultice on sores, burns, headaches and rheumatic pains[, , , ].

The powdered flowers are valued for treating coughs, colds and asthma[, ]. An infusion is taken to treat intestinal worms, rheumatism and epileptic attacks[].

The juice of young buds is dropped into the ear in the treatment of earache[].

The fruit pulp is considered abortive[].

Agroforestry Uses:

As it thrives upon soils where nothing else will grow, needing neither culture nor water, it has been considered a good plant for bringing waste land under tillage and for reclaiming drifting sands[].
The leaves can be used for mulching, green manuring of rice fields and for binding sandy soil[].
The plant is sometimes grown as a hedge[].

Other Uses

A fine fibre is obtained from the bark of the stems[, , ]. Very strong, it is said to possess many of the qualities of flax {Linum usitatissimum), though it is somewhat finer[, ]. It is much used for making textiles, fishing nets and bowstrings[, ].

The mature seed pods contain a large quantity of floss, which has a variety of uses. For example, it can be used to stuff pillows etc or mixed with other fibres to make cloth[, , , , ]. It is a Kapok substitute, being very water repellent it can be used as a buoyancy aid in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material[]. The floss absorbs oil whilst repelling water and so has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. Candlewicks can be made from the seed floss[, ].

The twigs are used as chewsticks for cleaning the teeth[, ].

The juice is used in making a yellow dye and in tanning[].

The wood is sometimes used for fuel, but it is of poor quality[]. However, a good quality charcoal is obtained from the wood and can be used for making gunpowder[, , ].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings.
Layering.

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