Gomphocarpus fruticosus aka Milkweed

Gomphocarpus fruticosus is a shrub in the Apocynaceae family. It is evergreen, which means it keeps its leaves year-round. Gardeners call it balloon cotton or narrow-leaved cotton bush. Its native range runs south from Eritrea through Africa. It also reaches into the Arabian Peninsula. Kew places it in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It grows in savannah grassland and on dry ground. In South Africa, it grows by roads and in fields people no longer use.

The shrub grows about 6.6 feet [2 metres] tall. It has woody growth and hollow stems. Cut stems give off a milky latex. Deep roots make plants hard to move once they take hold. Older plants can grow leggy after a few years. Gardeners often replace plants grown for show every two to three years. Plants grown from seed can bloom in their first year. People grow it in gardens in part for its flowers. Its seed capsules split open and show seeds with floss.

This shrub grows in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates. Give it full sun and soil that drains well. In the wild, it grows in dry soils. It also grows in sites where water drains freely. Sow seeds on the surface; do not let them dry out. Move seedlings to pots when large enough to handle. Plant them out at about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres] tall. Growers can also raise plants from root cuttings and young shoots. Use a sandy rooting mix for cuttings of young growth.

People gather wild plants for fibre and use in folk medicine. Some growers, including those in China, raise it for such use. People fill pillows with seed floss or use it as thread for trim. They also make belts with it. The inner bark yields strong, white bast fibre. People use this for sewing thread, waistbands, and snare cord. The fibres differ in length and have no natural twist. This can make them hard to spin into cloth.

All parts contain alkaloids. Reports also note glycosides that act on the heart. The whole plant can poison animals that graze. Some African uses include arrow poison and poison ordeals. Folk remedies use it for stomach and breathing problems. People also apply it to sores, boils, and swellings. These uses do not show that the plant is safe. Reports describe people eating the rootstock and fruit. They also warn that the plant is toxic.