Community Nurseries
Home About Plant Species Contact Us Credits Help
Scientific name
Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton
Synonym(s)
Asclepias gigantea
Common name
Giant Milkweed
Family
Apocynaceae
Habit
Woody Shrub
Maximum height (m)
1.5
Native or Non-native
Non-native
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Habitat
Naturally distributed in areas ranging from dry woods and stream banks to roadsides.
Distribution in Singapore
Cultivated only
Distribution worldwide
Southern China, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia. Naturalised in some parts of Malesia, countries around the Indian Ocean, tropical Africa, Australia, South America, and the Carribean.
Flowering and fruiting
Free flowering
Dispersal
Abiotic (Explosive Dehiscence), Biotic (Fauna)
Wildlife interactions
Butterfly food and host plant
Light conditions
Sunny
Soil conditions
Fertile Loamy Soils, Well-Drained Soils, Saline Soils / Salt Spray, Easy to Grow, Dry Soils / Drought
Water
Remarks
Additional references
Chen, L. M., Lua, H. K., Yeo, R. S., Choo, L. M., Lim, W. H., Athen, P., ... & Ho, B. C. (2020). Additions to the Flora of Singapore: New and overlooked records of exotic plant species (3). Nature in Singapore, 13, 27-37.
CABI, 2022.Calotropis gigantea (Yercum fibre). In: Invasive Species Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/isc.