Asclepias fruticosus
- Product number: 575130
- Origin: North America
- Latin: Asclepias fruticosus, or Gomphocarpus
VERY POPULAR IN BOUQUETS!
A perennial plant that grows 90 cm tall. It blooms from June to August. The lance-shaped leaves indicate excellent drought resistance, and the clusters of small, white flowers emit a honey-sweet scent. It is the fruits, however, that give the plant its popularity. They resemble inflated chestnut fruits, with several on one stem. They are bright green, turning red, and are slightly (softly) spiny, tapering to a point. After ripening, the 5 cm round fruits burst open, and the seeds hang on threads (parachutes). This plant is an important food source for Monarch butterfly caterpillars; who knows, perhaps this beautiful butterfly will come to Northern Europe more often... Give the plants some extra leaf cover against frost in winter, and you can enjoy them for years!
Names:
Latin: Asclepias fruticosus, or also Gomphocarpus
Dutch: Zwanenvrucht
Also: Gomphocarpus
English: Cottonbush
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- Flower colour: White flower clusters with a honey-sweet scent
- Origin: North America
- Average growth height: 60 to 90 cm
- Annual or perennial: Perennial
- Attractive to insects:
- Winter hardy: Moderately frost hardy
- Ease of cultivation: Easy
- Latin: Asclepias fruticosus, or Gomphocarpus
- Dutch: Swan fruit
- Also known as: Gomphocarpus
- English: Cottonbush
