Crown flower; Calotropis gigantea

Calotropis gigantea

Common Names:

• in English:

asclepiad tree, bowstring-hemp, crown flower, crown plant, giant Indian milkweed, giant milkweed, giant milky weed, gigantic swallow wort, madar, madar flower, milkweed, mudar

• in East Africa:

mpumbula

• in China:

niu jiao gua

• in India:

aak, aakdo, aank, aarka, ab shir madar, aditya, aekka, aekka maale, aekki gida, ag, aharbandhava, aharmani, aharpati, ahauna, ahgaram, ak, aka, akado, akan, akanak, akanda, akaona, akarai, akari, akahua, akda, akda cha jhada, akda nu jhada, akdachajhada, akdamu-jhada, akdo, ake, akh, akh ke phool, akom, akom aring, akon, akona, akond, akond mul, akondo, akra, akro, akuan, alacikacceti, alacikam, alagar, alakam, alal, alark, alarka, alarkah, alarpal, amarkkam, ancolam, angkot, ank, arak arak mara, arakh, arakha, arakho gatch, arakkam, arakkanceti, arakkaparani, ariccunam, ark, arka, arka-gida, arka vrikshaha, arkagatch, arkah (= sun), arkamu, arkavrikshaha, arkkam, arkku, arkopathra, aruccanam, aruccunam, aruccunanceti, aruchunam, arukkam, arukkan, arukku, arulagam, arulakam, aryama, ashur, asphotaka, atittiyam, attaticai, attaticam, attiaticaicceti, aush shar, aushar, badabadam, belerica, belericu, bhanu, bhaskara, bij-elosha, bikkortono, bili ekkada gida, buggejilor, buka, bukam, burg akh taza, byclospa, caikattilam, calaippota, campalam, cantamani, cantamanicceti, cantamappam, cantamayam, catakacuriyan, catakam, catalacceti, catalam, catam, catanapam, cataparikacceti, cataparikam, catapatalam, catapatam, catappan, cataputacceti, cataputam, cataputpam, cataputpi, cayitakam, ciraccatam, cirapiraneci, citaputpakam, civavallapam, cukalavi, cukapala, cukapalai, cukapalam, curam, curi, curiyanam, curiyanvintu, curiyapputu, cuvetakucumam, cuvetakucumoppi, dhavi rui, dholaakdo, diensam, dinesam, divakar, ekayitcakam, ekka, ekkai, ekkamale, ekke, ekkemale, ela wara, eri, ericu, erikalan, erikka, erikku, erukka, erukkalai, erukkam, erukkam ver, erukkampal, erukkan, erukkanceti, erukkila pacha, erukkin veru, erukku, eruku, ganarupa, gul madar, gule akh taza, gurt-akand, haridashva, hela wara, himarati, irumpunirricceti, irupunirri, itcika, jambhala, jilledu, jilledu-chettu, jilleru, jillidi, kadrati, kanaripam, kanatipam, kantali, karagh, karak, karccakkinam, kari aekkada gida, karnam, katiccavaytutaiccan, katiravan, katterumai, katterumaikkalli, kattila, kharak, kharjjughna, khark, khok, kirtanuphala, kokarunai, kokaruni, kotuki, kshiradala, kshirakandaka, kshiranga, kshiraparni, kutiketan, lal-akara, lal madar, lal-rui, lalak, lalakava, lalmadar, lalrui, lippacitacceti, lippacitam, madar, madar aak, makam, makkam, makkika, makkikacceti, malaipparutimaram, manakkovi, mandaara, mandaaramu, mandara, mandaramu, mandarasu, manotayam, mantaracu, mantaracucceti, mantaram, marttantacceti, marttantam, marttantan, marufu, mayo bin, mhatari, mir-dukathe, mirugusayi-dagam, mirugusayidagam, mirukacayitakam, mirukucayittakam, moto aak, moto akdo, muda, mudar, mudhar, mutitamaram, naccilaikkurikacceti, nalla jelledu, nallajilledu, natakinkanam, nattam, nattappalai, nattappila, nattappiraki, nattappirakicceti, nella-jilledu, nellajeleroo, nellajilledo, nilavukay, nilavukaycceti, nilledu, nohanoakdo, nubam, numsubamoli, numsubatong, numsungbatong, nupakacceti, nupakam, nupam, nuttam, orko, oschor, oshmor, oshor, pachajilledu, pacupataki, pacupatakicceti, pacupatasai, pacupatatai, pakavanati, palaikkaraviki, palati, palti, pamotayam, patladudha, phunder, pogojirol, prabhakara, pratapa, pratapasa, puchhi, pumikuruvakam, putanivaranicceti, raachajilledu, racajilledu, racha-jilledu, rachajilledu, rato-akdo, ratsajilledu, ravi, rhui, roghan gul akh, rui, rupika, ruvi, sadabadam, sadabudam, sadapushpa, sadapuspi, sadapyshpa, sadasuma, safed aak, safed aakdo, safed-ak, safedakra, safed akvan, safed datura, safed ok, safedak, saptashva, savita, sevverukku, shir madar, shitapushpaka, shiy-aak, shri madar, shukaphala, shweta arka, siyam, spalmai, sukaphala, sunu, suriyam, surya pattra, suryapattra, suryavgha, suvedagusuman, svaytaurkum, swet-akonda, swet-aurkum, tanalam, tanali, tanalicceti, tapana, tarani, tella-jilledu, tella jilledu, tellajilledoo, tellajilledu, tevanati, thellajilledu, tirkkaputpam, tirkkaputpi, titamai, tittai, tulapalam, tulaphala, tuntakkini, tutaiccavam, tutaiccavay, tutaiccuvacceti, udumbaram, ulurka, urkkovi, uruk, urukku, ushar, ushnarashmi, uste, utumparakacceti, utumparakam, utumparam, vacciram, vacciramuli, vantumuli, vara, vara gaha, varkkam, vasuka, vellaarike, vellaiyerukku, vellerikku, vellerukkam poo, vellerukku, vetanatam, vibhakara, vibhavasu, vicaram, viccai, viccananta, viccanta, viccaranti, viccaranticceti, vicittirakam, vikiram, vikorana, vikshira, vikuri, vikuricceti, viruntam, virutam, vittirakam, vivasvana, vivaswana, vungdamdawi, wara, yakkeda gida, yekka, yekkada, yekkadagida, yekkadagida, yekkadaguda, yekkamali, yekkamalle, yekke, yekkemale, yercum, yerica, yerika, yerikan, yerikkan, yerkum, yerrikku, yerriku, yerukku, yokada

• in Indonesia:

 bidhuri, rubik, sidaguri

• in Laos:

 dok hak, dok kap, kok may

• Malayan names:

berduri, kemengu, lembegah, merigu, rembega, remiga, remigu

• in Myanmar:

maioh, mayo, mayo-beng, mayo-bin, mayomayo-pin, mayo-pin, mayoe-gyi

• in Nepal:

 aank, akanda, auk, madar, yak

• in the Philippines:

 kapal-kapal, mudar

• in Thailand:

 po thuean, paan thuean, rak

• in Tibetan:

 a rga, a-rka, shri-khanda

• in Vietnam:

 bong bong, b[oof]ng b[oof]ng, coc may, la hen, l[as] hen, nam ti ba, nam t[if] b[af]

Scientific Names:

• Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand.
• Calotropis gigantea var. procera (Aiton) P.T.Li
• Calotropis gigantea (L.) R. Br. ex Schult.

Floral Description:

According to Flora of China:

• Shrubs 1-5 m tall.
• Petiole 1-4 mm;
• leaf blade obovate-oblong or oblong, 7-30 × 3-15 cm, base cordate, apex obtuse, cottony tomentose when young, frequently glabrescent and glaucous green; lateral veins 4-8 pairs.
• Cymes umbel-like, with fine woolly hairs; peduncle robust, 5-12 cm.
• Pedicel thick, 2-5 cm.
• Calyx almost flat, 1.2-1.5 cm in diam. Flower buds cylindric.
• Corolla usually purplish or lilac with paler greenish base, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam., fleshy, glabrous; lobes ovate, 1-1.5 × 0.6-1 cm, spreading or reflexed, margin revolute.
• Corona shorter than gynostegium.
• Follicles obliquely elliptic to oblong-lanceolate in outline, 5-10 × 2.5-4 cm, both ends incurved.
• Seeds broadly ovate, 5-7 × 3-4 mm; coma 2.5-4 cm

According to Flora of Pakistan

• A large shrub or small tree, 1-5 m tall, young branches covered with white cottony tomentum.
• Leaves 6-18 x 3-10 cm, elliptic-oblong or obovate-oblong, base cordate, tip acute or shortly acuminate, petiole almost absent to 2 cm, young leaves covered with cottony tomentum becoming subglabrous.
• Flowers 3-4.5 cm in diameter, purplish or white. Peduncles up to 18 cm long, pedicels 5-8.8 cm long.
• Sepals 3-4 mm long. Corolla 1.5-2.2 cm long.
• Fruit 7-10 cm long and 2.5-4.0 cm broad, recurved. Seeds 5-6 mm long, broadly ovate, flat.

Pharmacological Activities:

• Caustic, can be violently irritant, in contact with the eye, the latex causes severe irritation.
• abortifacient, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, sedative, cytotoxic, procoagulant, anti-diarrheal, antidote for snakebites and scorpion stings.
• Latex dropped into teeth with caries, also to treat bronchial asthma, boils, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, nervous disorders; applied on wound caused by a thorn or a spine.
• For headache, apply the white milk to the skin over the side of the head where headache is.
• If the gum or twig introduced into vagina it will cause abortion; latex to kill wound maggots.
• Milky latex given as antidote, antivenom for snakebite;
• Milky latex applied in cases of dog, fox and monkey bites to prevent rabies.
• Bark for the treatment of neurodermatitis and syphilis.
• Bark boiled and liquid used on children with skin rash; a mixture of stem bark and black pepper given orally in epilepsy.
• Febrifuge for children, bark and that of Tectona boiled together.
• Roots insect repellent, astringent, antiseptic, also used in leprosy, dysentery, eczema, syphilis, elephantiasis, ulceration and cough.
• Root paste applied on snakebite and scorpion sting.
• Root paste given in cholera to check loose motion.
• Smoke of the burnt leaves inhaled to treat ulcerations of the nose.
• Fresh leaves extract taken for malaria.
• Dried powdered pure white flowers with honey given in mental disorders, hysteria, madness. Veterinary medicine, leaves boiled and applied on boils.
• Flowers for ephemeral fevers.
• ground roots fed for maggot wounds.
• Leaves of Cassia italica with flower of Calotropis gigantea and fruit of Terminalia chebula  pounded and given orally in constipation.

Phytochemicals:

Calactin, Calotropin, alpha-Amyrin, beta-Amyrin, Isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, Isorhamnetin 3-(2G-galactosylrutinoside), Taraxasteryl acetate, Uzarigenin, 15beta-Hydroxycalotropin, Calactinic acid methyl ester