Apple of Sodom, Sodom Apple, King’s Crown, Rubber Bush, Stabragh
Calotropis procera is a tree or shrub that can grow up to six meters tall, and its milky sap is poisonous. Its natural range is tropical Africa and Asia. As an introduced species, the Apple of Sodom is also said to occur in Australia, North America and South America.
Characteristics & Description
Height, habit: Up to 6 meters, shrub, tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Poisonous: Yes, many members of the dog bane family are toxic.
Origin: Africa, Asia and naturalized in Australia, some parts of North America and South America (distribution map)
USDA zone: 12 (50 °F/10 °C)
Botany
Name: Calotropis procera (syn. Asclepias procera)
Family: Dog bane family (Apocynaceae)
How to grow the Sodom Apple from seeds
The seeds should be soaked for 12 to 24 hours before sowing.
The seeds can be sown all year round in a bright and warm location. I sowed them in early January and used a plant light to grow them.
A permeable mix of sand or fine gravel is a good substrate. Standard mixtures for cacti and other succulents can be used. The seeds shown here were sown in a mixture of peat-free potting soil and bird sand.
The seeds of Calotropis procera must be covered with soil. The sowing depth is about one centimeter.
The soil should be kept evenly moist and not allowed to dry out.
At 73 to 82 °F (23 to 28 °C) it took five days for the first seeds to germinate.
Sites with morning, evening and winter sun are ideal for growing. The seedlings can be acclimated to the hot summer sun when they are between five and ten centimeters tall.
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Categories: Blue & Purple Flowers | Indoor Plants | Shrubs & Trees | White flowers |
