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GENERAL
Origin
:
tropical
Vigour
:
normal growth
rate
Humidity
:
extremely arid,
very arid, semi-
arid, semi-humid
Propagation :
direct sowing,
sowing and
pricking out,
cuttings
Maintenance :
low
CONDITIONS
Urban climate :
resistant
Dessication :
resistant
Stagnant water :
vulnerable
Irrigation
:
none
Salinity/ppm :
very high (6000
ppm)
Hardiness
:
-3°C
SHAPE
Type
:
shrub
Height
:
2 m-5 m
Spread
:
2 m-4 m
Foliage
:
evergreen
FLOWER
Colour
:
pastel white,
secondary: pastel
violet, pastel
purple
Period
:
June - October
Smell
:
scented, flower
FRUIT
Type of fruit :
capsule
Fruit size
:
7 cm - 10 cm
Toxicity
:
poisonous
The Calotropis or Felt Plant is known in Arabic as ashar. It is indigenous in Saudi Arabia, but is
also native to southeast Asia and tropical Africa. The shrub can grow to between 3 and 5 metres
high, and about the same width. The fact that it is poisonous (eye and skin contact should be avo-
ided) means that it is not often planted ornamentally. However, C. procera is an interesting plant
and wrongly maligned. With its bold foliage, the leaves are light silver-green on top and velvety
underneath; they are large, fleshy and ovate. The flowers are grey on the outside and purple on
the inside, in clustered axillary inflorescences. The impressive fruit is a large capsule, which opens
to release dark seeds with silky hairs for distribution by the wind. These unusual attributes make
the shrub valuable for landscape design. Bark, roots, leaves and flowers have long been used as
remedies for numerous illnesses. C. procera can be propagated by seed or cuttings. The shrub
has a tap root and it grows very well in sandy or silty desert conditions. The Felt Plant can tole-
rate high salinity and requires no irrigation once established. It is an attractive plant for natural
garden themes, in rock or steppe gardens, and as a specimen making a silhouette against a wall
or in group planting. It can be used in both open desert and urban areas. C. procera plays an
important role in improving soil fertility, and also improves the water-retaining capacity of soil.
Maintenance measures are necessary from time to time to improve its appearance.
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Calotropis procera,
Asclepiadaceae
Felt Plant,
ashar