Taxon:
Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W. T. Aiton subsp. fruticosus
Summary
Verified:
01/25/2012
ARS Systematic Botanists.
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Reference(s)
- Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14
- Goyder, D. J. & A. Nicholas. 2001. A revision of Gomphocarpus R. Br. (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadeae). Kew Bull. 56:784-785.
Common names
English
balloon-cotton – bristle-fruit silkweed – Cape-cotton – cottonbush – duckbush – gooseplant – mobydick – narrow-leaf cottonbush – swanplant – wild cotton – French
faux cotonnier – ouatier marron – petite ouate – German
Baumwoll-Seidenpflanze – Swedish
ballongbuske –
Distribution
order_code | Status | Continent | Subcontinent | Country | State | Note |
1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Angola | | |
1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Malawi | | |
1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Mozambique | | |
1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Zambia | | |
1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Zimbabwe | | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Botswana | | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Eswatini | | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Lesotho | | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Namibia | | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Eastern Cape | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Free State | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Gauteng | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | KwaZulu-Natal | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Limpopo | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Mpumalanga | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Northern Cape | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | North-West | |
1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | Western Cape | |
2 | Cultivated | | | | | also cult. |
3 | Adventive | Northern America | Southwestern U.S.A. | United States | California | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Macaronesia | Portugal | Azores | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Macaronesia | Portugal | Madeira Islands | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Macaronesia | Spain | Canary Islands | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Northeast Tropical Africa | Sudan | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Northern Africa | Morocco | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Côte D'Ivoire | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Guinea | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Senegal | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | West-Central Tropical Africa | Cameroon | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Western Indian Ocean | Madagascar | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Western Indian Ocean | Mauritius | | |
4 | Naturalized | Africa | Western Indian Ocean | Reunion | | |
4 | Naturalized | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Cyprus | | |
4 | Naturalized | Asia-Temperate | Western Asia | Turkey | | |
4 | Naturalized | Asia-Tropical | Indian Subcontinent | India | | |
4 | Naturalized | Australasia | Australia | Australia | | |
4 | Naturalized | Australasia | New Zealand | New Zealand | | |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Albania | | |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Croatia | | |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Greece | | incl. Crete |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southeastern Europe | Italy | | incl. Sardinia, Sicily |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southwestern Europe | France | | incl. Corsica |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southwestern Europe | Portugal | | |
4 | Naturalized | Europe | Southwestern Europe | Spain | | incl. Baleares |
4 | Naturalized | Southern America | Northern South America | Venezuela | | |
4 | Naturalized | Southern America | Western South America | Peru | Moquegua | |
Native
Africa
-
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA:
Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
-
SOUTHERN AFRICA:
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West]
Cultivated
(also cult.)
Adventive
Northern America
-
SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.:
United States [California]
Naturalized
Africa
-
MACARONESIA:
Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]
-
NORTHERN AFRICA:
Morocco
-
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA:
Sudan
-
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA:
Cameroon
-
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA:
Côte D'Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal
-
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN:
Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion
Asia-Temperate
-
WESTERN ASIA:
Cyprus, Turkey
Asia-Tropical
-
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT:
India
Australasia
-
AUSTRALIA:
Australia
-
NEW ZEALAND:
New Zealand
Europe
-
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE:
Albania, Greece (incl. Crete), Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily)
-
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE:
Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Southern America
-
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA:
Venezuela
-
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA:
Peru [Moquegua]
Economic Uses
Usage | Type | Note | Reference |
Environmental | ornamental | as Asclepias fruticosa | Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening |
Medicines | folklore | | Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition). URL: http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=2 Note: cultivated |
Vertebrate poisons | mammals | fide Kellerman et al., as Asclepias fruticosus; Econ Pl Aust, as Asclepias fruticosus | Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa Note: = Asclepias fruticosa L. |
Weed | potential seed contaminant | | Parsons, W. T. & E. G. Cuthbertson. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia Inkata Press, Melbourne, Australia. |