Description

Crown Flower  is a species of Calotropisnative to Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, China, Pakistan, Neppal, and tropical Africa. It is also known as Giant Milkweed. It belongs in the subfamily Asclepiadodeae. It is native to southeast Asia. It has been naturalized in Hawaii.

Characteristics:

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. Stem : Erect, branched, cylindrical, solid, contains milky latex. Leaves : 4-8 inches long, decussate, obovate or elliptic-oblong, shortly acute, subsessile, cordate or often amplexical at the base. Inflorescence : Umbellate cymes. Flowers : Large, white, not scented, peduncles arising between the petioles. Flower-buds ovoid, angled, Calyx lobes 5, divided to the base, white, ovate; corolla broadly rotate, valvate, lobes 5, deltoid ovate, reflexed, coronate-appendages broad, obtusely 2-auricled below the rounded apex which is lower than the staminal-column. Stamens 5, anthers short with membranous appendages, inflexed over the depressed apex of the pentagonal stigma.

Medicinal Uses:

People use the bark and root bark for medicine. Despite serious safety concerns, calotropis is used for digestive disorders including diarrhea, constipation and stomach ulcers; for painful conditions including toothache, cramps, and joint pain; and for parasitic infections including elephantiasis and worms.