Asclepias curassavica L.

Code

ASCCU

Growth form

Broadleaf

Biological cycle

Perennial

Habitat

Terrestrial

Global decription

Asclepias curassavica is a woody, upright herb up to 1.5 m tall.
Round stem little branched containing a white latex.
Leaves opposite, simple, shortly petiolate, 6 to 15 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide. Oblong lanceolate blade, pointed at both ends, the upper side is green, the underside has bluish highlights.
Inflorescences in simple umbels carried by a peduncle 4 cm long, including 4 to 12 long pedicelled flowers. Flower 1.5 cm in diameter, corolla with 5 red petals with curved lobes. Crown of reflective, yellow or orange pieces attached to the base of the column of stamens.
The fruit is a smooth and fusiform follicle, attenuated at the tip, ovoid to oblong 5-7 cm long, with 6 to 7 mm long reddish-brown seeds, very light, with an egret. tuft of silky hairs 2 cm long

Brazil: Asclepias curassavica flowers and fruits almost all the year round.
Morocco: Asclepias curassavica blooms from April to September.
Mayotte: Asclepias curassavica flowers and fruits all the year round.
West Indies: Asclepias curassavica flowers and fruits almost all the year round.

New caledonia :  Asclepias curassavica is a perennial species that flowers all around the year.

Asclepias curassavica is a perennial species, it reproduces by seeds. They are very light and disseminated very far by wind.

Brazil: Asclepias curassavica is a plant that prefers medium to heavy soils, preferring to establish itself on occupied land.
French Guiana: It develops in sunny and well-drained areas.
Morocco: Asclepias curassavica is a fairly rare species, naturalized to subspontaneous in semi-natural environments. It grows in humid shrubby plant formations, riparian forests, on the edges of irrigation canals and in cultivated areas, at altitudes of up to 1,200 m.
Mayotte: A. curassavica is mainly cultivated in gardens but it is sometimes found as spontaneous.
Nicaragua: Abundant in open and disturbed areas throughout the country from 0 to 1600 m altitude.
New Caledonia: Asclepias curassavica is not depending on soil type and is very drought resistant like most latex plants and requires full sun to thrive but can adapt to partially shaded exposure
West Indies: Asclepias curassavica is a fairly ubiquitous species, a ruderal and weed of crops, present at altitudes of 0 to 1200 m.

Toxicity

The entire plant of Asclepias curassavica contains a poisonous white latex, like many representatives of the Apocynaceae family. It contains principles acting on the heart (especially seeds) and alkaloids that make you vomit. It is not hunted by cattle, but can be accidentally consumed by an inexperienced animal and can poison it if the absorption is important.

Origin

Asclepias curassavica is native to tropical and subtropical America

Worldwide distribution

It is present now in many tropical countries because of its ornamental character; it naturalizes sometimes. It is a weed or invasive species in many areas: America, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific, Australia. It is present in New Caledonia, in all the Indian Ocean islands and the West Indies.

Global harmfulness

Asclepias curassavica is one of the 300 major invasive species of tropical Australia, the Indian Ocean and Oceania including New Caledonia. It is particularly invasive in Hawaii, Fiji, Galapagos, Polynesia.

Local harmfulness

The harmfulness of Asclepias curassavica is mainly due to its toxicity for animals, in environments where they are likely to graze.

French Guiana: Its presence is rare in the agricultural environment of French Guiana. Observed in citrus orchards, but never abundantly.
New Caledonia: Introduced in New Caledonia since the 1860s, A. curassavica is now widely dispersed without ever being abundant. Although not a major invasive species, it contributes to the degradation of existing pastures by adding its abundance to that of other non-palatable species. Its toxic principles also involve monitoring the occurrence of this species and manually eliminating the first individuals.
Reunion: Asclepias curassavica is present especially in gardens, but it is not observed as a crop weed.
West Indies: Asclepias curassavica is a minor weed in crops.

New Caledonia: The toxicity of Asclepias curassavica leads to the elimination of the first individuals manually. For more advanced infestations, we can practice a herbicide treatment on regrowths after rotary grinding with active ingredients such as 2,4-D associated with picloram because of its robustness.
A lepidopteran, Monarch Danaus plexipus, is a biological control agent of the species by its phytophagous caterpillars.

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Asclepias%2520curassavica