Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Asclepias physocarpa

Swan Plant

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Swan Plant, Balloon Cotton-bush, Balloon Plant

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE s.Africa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (~1990), Naturalised (RR & MG); Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers; Invasive of farmland, Poisonous?

Enlarged Image of 'Asclepias physocarpa'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
++
++
+
+
+
-
-

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
-
-
-
-
-
-

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Asclepias physocarpa (E.Mey.)
SYNONYMS: Gomphocarpus physocarpus

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Gentianales; ASCLEPIDACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Ornamental flowers
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive of farmland, Poisonous?. Comments: Considered to be an invasive on Rarotonga, recognised as spreading around 2000 [pers.obs. G.McCormack]

GENERAL NOTE: This plant has been records as poisonous. (Arnold 1968)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.240 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.697 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.102 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.146 Tropica

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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