Asclepias curassavica

Common name
Bunga mas, bunga tunjong, melukut paya, bunga tanjung, bunga sebusok, bunga melukut paya, swallow wort, red milkweed, bastard ipecacuanha, bloodflower, blood-flowered milkweed, blood plant, butterfly weed, Curacau silkweed, curassavian, curassavian swallow wort, false ipecacuanha, false ipepac, Indian root, kittie mc-vanie, milkweed, red cotton, red-flowered cotton bush, red head plant, red-head cotton bush, red-head, red milkweed, red-headed cotton-bush, red top, silkweed, swallow wort, West Indian ipecacuanha, wild ipecacuanha, common milkweed, bastard ipepac

Characteristics
An erect, glabrous and perennial herb that grows up to 1.2 m tall. It has a milky exudate throughout.

Morphology

Leaves
Simple, opposite, shortly petiole, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate and measures 7 – 13 cm long and 6 – 25 cm wide. The base is narrowed.


Stem
Smooth, round, dull green or suffused with dull red.


Inflorescence
In the form of an umbel with 6 – 15 flowers on terminal or axillary peduncle.


Flowers
Perfect, radially symmetrical or irregularly shaped bright red or orange with yellow centers. There are 5 sepals, deeply divided, reflexed, and green. Five petals which are linear with base united into a fused corolla. The corolla lobes are red, reflexed, oblong and approximately 8mm long. The corona scale is orange in colour, 5-lobed and measures 3.5-4.0 mm long. The corona is hood-shaped with inwardly curved horns, stamens 5 in number, anthers with two pollen sacs, pollen aggregates into masses called pollinia or pollen sacs. The style filaments are united with pistils 2-carpelled.


Fruit
A pair of dry dehiscent, spindle-shaped follicles, measuring 5–15 cm long, many seeded and splitting lengthwise on one side at maturity.


Seeds
Ovate, flat, winged, measures 4–6 mm long and 2.2-4.0 mm wide, brown in colour, minutely ridged, with a pappus of fine white silky hairs at the apex and measures 2-3 cm long.

Chemical compound
oxypregnanes, 12-O-benzoyldeacylmetaplexigenin and 12-O-benzoylsarcostin. Other chemical content includes 12-O-benzoylsarcostin 3-O-β-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-digitoxopyranoside, 12-O-benzoylsarcostin 3-O-β-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-digitoxopyranoside, sarcostin 3-O-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-canaropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-digitoxopyranoside, sarcostin 3-O-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-canaropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-canaropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-digitoxopyranoside, 12-O-benzoyldeacylmetaplexigenin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-canaropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-digitoxopyranoside, and 12-O-benzoylsarcostin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-canaropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-oleandropyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-digitoxopyranoside.

Plant part used
Whole plant and roots

Medicinal uses

• In Indonesia, the sap of the plant was applied to the skin to treat the eczema.
• The roots are used as a cheaper alternative to ipecacuanha as an emetic.
• The plant has astringent properties and is used to treat dysentery in Jamaica.
• Syrup prepared from the expressed juice is a powerful vermifuge by virtue of its emetic and purgative properties.

List of country
America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Nur Athirah Roshaizi

Nur Athirah Roshaizi

English