Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) Spreng.
Half hardy, upright, deciduous sub-shrub with linear, lance-shaped leaves and axillary clusters of cup-shaped, creamy-white flowers in summer, followed by ovoid, softly-spiny, silver-green fruit. To 1.5m. [RHSE, Don].
Horticultural & Botanical History
‘An old inhabitant of our greenhouses, where it thrives well and frequently ripens its seeds. but the plant should be removed out of the greenhouse or the seed-vessels be plucked off before they burst, otherwise the down of the seeds being blown about the house, and adhering to whatever it touches, is apt to disfigure all the surrounding foliage.’ [BM t.1628/1814]. Introduced to Britain in 1714. [JD].
History at Camden Park
Listed only in the 1857 catalogue [T.71/1857].
Notes
Published Feb 26, 2009 - 03:01 PM | Last updated Feb 23, 2010 - 02:01 PM
Family | Asclepiadaceae |
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Category | |
Region of origin | Southern Africa |
Synonyms |
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Common Name | Milk bush |
Name in the Camden Park Record | Asclepias fruticosa |
Confidence level | high |