ASCLEPIAS FRUTICOSA

Family:- APOCYNACEAE

Common Name:- Bristly-fruited silkweed

Synonyms:- Asclepias salicifolia, Gomphocarpus fruticosus

Meaning:- Asclepias (Gr) For Aesculapius, mythical god of medicine.

Fruticosa (L) Of shrub like habit.

General description:- An erect shrubby perennial.

Stems:-

a) 1-2 m.

Leaves:-

a) 2-10 x 0·3-1 cm.

b) narrow with parallel sides to lance-shaped, long-pointed.

c) hairless.

Flower:-

1) Cymes:

a) many-flowered.

b) stalks (peduncles) short, pubescent.

2) Corolla:

a) 12-14mm.

b) lobes, ovate-oblong; margins fringed with hairs (ciliate).

c) white.

3) Corona-segments:

a) hooded (cucullate).

b) fleshy.

Fruit:-

1) Follicles:

a) 4-6 x 2-3 cm.

b) boat-shaped (cymbiform), inflated, erect.

c) very bristly.

Habitat:- Damp places, especially riverbanks, often close to the coast, naturalised.

0-500 m.

Distribution:- Introduced, a native of South Africa. Not common on Crete with

restricted distribution.

Flowering time:- May-Sept.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton