At the Los Angeles County Arboretum, I saw a tall plant with strange fruits, it is called Giant Milkweed or Apple of Sodom. I touched this seemingly weighty melon-like fruit but found it’s actually as light as cotton. The green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into a gluey coating which is resistant to soap. Giant milkweed is a multipurpose plant, which can be utilized for medicine, fodder, and fuel purposes, timber and fiber production, phytoremediation, and synthesis of nanoparticles. It has been widely used in traditional medicinal systems across North Africa, Middle East Asia, and South-East Asia.
在洛杉磯植物園看到一棵高大有奇怪果實的植物，它是白花牛角瓜，我摸了一下這個看起來像個有份量的瓜，其實它像棉花似的輕飄飄的，這綠色果實中含有一種有毒的乳狀汁液，這種汁液非常苦，會變成一層膠狀的塗層，有耐皂性。白花牛角瓜是一種多用途植物，可用於醫藥、飼料和燃料用途、木材和纖維生產、植物修復和納米粒子的合成。 它已廣泛用於北非、中東和東南亞的傳統醫藥系統。
Notes 筆記
- Calotropis procera is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, tropical Africa, Madagascar, Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina. It has been introduced and has naturalized in parts of Australia, a number of Pacific Islands, Central and South America, and most Caribbean Islands. In the U. S., it has naturalized in California and Hawaii.
- Genus name “Calotropis” is derived from Greek, meaning “beautiful,” which refers to its flowers; whereas specific epithet “procera” is a Latin word which refers to the cuticular wax present on its leaves and stem. It is known by various common names such as Apple of Sodom, king’s crown, small crownflower, calotrope, giant milkweed, Indian milkweed, wild cotton, rubber tree etc., in different parts of the world. Common names for the plant include , Sodom Apple, rubber bush, rubber tree, and giant milkweed.
- The green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into a gluey coating which is resistant to soap.
- Calotropis procera is a multipurpose plant, which can be utilized for medicine, fodder, and fuel purposes, timber and fiber production, phytoremediation, and synthesis of nanoparticles. It has been widely used in traditional medicinal systems across North Africa, Middle East Asia, and South-East Asia.
- The plant is known to occur throughout the tropical belt and is also common in the West Indies (e.g. Jamaica), where the locals know it as “pillow cotton”. When the ripe “apples” burst, the fibrous contents are ejected along with the seeds. The former are collected by the Jamaicans and used for filling pillows.
- The giant milkweed is used for fiber and medicine in Southern Africa, but it rapidly invades subsistence agricultural fields reducing yields. The plant is poisonous if eaten by livestock. It thrives in the hot northern regions of Limpopo Province. This plant is also found along road verges and in drainage lines.
- It is recognized as an obnoxious environmental weed in several parts of the world.
- 白花牛角瓜是夾竹桃科的一種開花植物，原產於北非、熱帶非洲、馬達加斯加、阿拉伯半島、巴基斯坦、西亞、南亞和中印半島。它已移植到澳大利亞部分地區、一些太平洋島嶼、中美洲和南美洲以及大多數加勒比島嶼。 在美國也已移植到加州和夏威夷。
- 屬名“Calotropis”源自希臘語，指的是它的花朵，意思是“美麗”； 而拉丁語的種小名“procera”指的是存在於它的葉子和莖上的角質層蠟。在世界不同地區有不同的俗名，包括了所多瑪蘋果、王冠、牛角瓜、巨型乳草、印度乳草、野生棉花、橡膠樹、狗仔花等 。
- 綠色果實含有一種有毒的乳狀汁液，這種汁液非常苦，會變成一層膠狀的塗層，有耐皂性。
- 白花牛角瓜是一種多用途植物，可用於醫藥、飼料和燃料用途、木材和纖維生產、植物修復和納米粒子的合成。它已廣泛用於北非、中東和東南亞的傳統醫藥系統。
- 這種植物遍布整個熱帶地區，在西印度群島（例如牙買加）也很常見，當地人將其稱為“枕頭棉花”。當成熟的“蘋果”爆裂時，裏面的纖維與種子一起被彈射出来。 牙買加人收集纖維並用其填充枕頭。
- 這種白花牛角瓜在南部非洲被用於醫藥和拿來當纖維用，但它會迅速侵入自給自足性農田，降低產量。這種植物是有毒的若被牲畜食用。它在林波波省炎熱的北部地區茁壯成長。它也會長在道路邊和排水管道中。
- 在世界上有些地方，它被認為是一種令人討厭的自然環境雜草。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Calotropis procera
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Calotropis procera
- 百度百科: 白花牛角瓜
Plants Posts 植物的帖子