NHD52/30

Giant calotrope

Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T. Aiton; Apocynaceae family

Flowering branch of a giant calotrope. Light brown, smooth branch, with large obovate leaves stemming from the nodes. Leaves have entire margins and pinnate veins, dark green upper surface, and light green underside. Leaves decrease in size toward the apex of the branch. At the top of the branch, three stems with flowers, two lateral, and one vertical. The inflorescence has an erect, compound umbel structure, with tubular white flowers characterised by a set of curling, stellate, white petals, and an inner set of upside-down campanulate-like purple petals curling upwards. Sprouting from the middle of the purple petals, an exagonal structure protruding vertically (the pistil). Among the bloomed flowers, few pale orange globular bud. Lower left: dissected view of the pedicel with the pistil, the five purple inner petals, showing distinctive curling shape, and the five, lower white stellate petals. Lower right: dissected view of the fruit. Fruit attached to a nodose pedicel; fruit is elongated in shape with pointy opposite end. Fruit skin appears smooth and light brown in colour. The upper part of the fruit (attached to the pedicel) is further dissected vertically, to show inner structure. One layer of flesh is visible right beneath the skin, marked with irregular brown lines; the seeds are sitting lying along the edge of an egg-like structure enclosed by a green layer. The inner core of the fruit appears to have two further layers, possibly the inner core of the seeds depository. One seed is depicted on the right, dissected horizontally. The seed is round, brown in colour, with numerous and long hair (dispersal aids) growing from the lower ends.

The same plant is depicted in a different format in NHD55/14.