Common Name: Blood Flower

General Information

Asclepias curassavica is an annual or short-lived perennial plant with stems that are usually unbranched but sometimes with several branches. The stems are usually 40 - 150cm tall, occasionally to 250cm, and usually become more or less woody at the base[, ].
The plant is widely cultivated throughout the tropics as an ornamental, but it is also sometimes grown, in places such as China, as a medicinal plant[].

Known Hazards

The root contains a glycoside, asclepiadin, which is emetic and purgative - in large doses it can cause death[]. The plant is suspected to be poisonous to grazing animals[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical S. America, but widely naturalized in many areas of the Tropics.

Habitat

Occurs most frequently in pastures, wastelands and along roadsides at elevations from sea level to over 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	2.00 m
Pollinators	Wasps, Bees, Butterflies
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in a range of climates from warm temperate to tropical.
Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[]. Succeeds on a wide range of soils[].
The plant has very light, plumed seeds that can be carried considerable distances in the wind. It has often escaped from cultivation and has become a weed throughout the tropics[, ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The latex of the plant as well as the roots, leaves, and flowers are used medicinally[].

The root is febrifuge. A decoction is used in the treatment of dysentery and as an eyewash for infected eyes[].
The root contains a glycoside, asclepiadin, which is used as an emetic and purgative[, ]. It has been used as a substitute for ipecacuanha[].

A paste made of the crushed leaves, combined with salt, vegetable oil and bread, is used for treating skin ulcers[].

The plant contains an abundant white latex which is applied to warts and corns in order to kill them[].
The juice of the whole plant is used to treat ringworm, sores, rashes, dermatitis etc[].

The plant is considered cicatrizant (healing cuts etc by encouraging the formation of scars)[].

The aerial parts of plant are sometimes used in the treatment of dysentery and as an eyewash for infected eyes[].

The root contains cardenolides with aglycones such as asclepogenine and curassavogenine[].
The latex contains cardenolides and esterified triterpenes. Extracts stimulate the central nervous system[]. The latex also contains quercetin, caffeic acid, sterols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, fatty acids and acidic mucilage[]. The plant contains beta-sitosterol, which is antihypercholesterolemic (reduces cholesterol), anti-prostatic, and oestrogenic[].

Other Uses

The stem fibres are used for spinning, partly in mixture with cotton[, ].

The seed hairs are used as a stuffing material for pillows[, ]. This is too elastic for spinning unless altered by chemical treatment after which it can be spun admixed with cotton[].

The stems are used, tied in bundles, as brooms[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow and make sure the seeds are kept moist[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: How many fingers does the typical human have?