kids encyclopedia robot

Crown flower facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Crown flower
Starr 010309-0517 Calotropis gigantea.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
(unranked):
(unranked):
(unranked):
Order:
Family:
Subfamily:
Genus:
Calotropis
Species:
C. gigantea
Binomial name
Calotropis gigantea
(L.) W.T.Aiton

Crown flower (Calotropis gigantea) is a species of plant. It is also known as Giant Milkweed. It belongs in the subfamily Asclepiadodeae. It is native to southeast Asia. It has been naturalized in Hawai'i.

It is a large shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall. It has clusters of waxy flowers that are either white or lavender in colour. Each flower consists of five pointed petals and a small "crown" rising from the center which holds the stamens. The aestivation found in calotropis is valvate i.e. sepals or petals in a whorl just touch one another at the margin, without overlapping. The plant has oval, light green leaves and milky stem. The latex of Calotropis gigantea contains cardiac glycosides, fatty acids, and calcium oxalate.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Calotropis gigantea para niños

kids search engine
Crown flower Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.