Crown flower (Calotropis gigantea)

Biduri or sidaguri or crown flower (Calotropis gigantea) is a shrub plant in Asclepiadoideae, up to 4 meters high, generally growing in tropical and subtropical climates, growing up to 900 meters above sea level, capable of living in dry areas and high salt content.

C. gigantea has thick and rough skin, brownish brown, green twigs and may have white fur. The single leaf has a size of about 30x25 cm, pale green, elliptical with a blunt tip, arranged opposite, the surface has white hair and starchy.

Flowers come in March to October, five thick petals, measuring 1x1 cm, predominantly white and purple at the ends. The petals are surrounded by five small triangular shaped sepals, dirty white and five purple stamens. The fruit is round with a size of 15x10 cm, if it is split it will remove white tufts of hair.

Biduri has roots with a bulge at the top, hard, outer skin grayish yellow and the inside is yellowish white. If one part is slashed, it will emit runny sap that is white, chelate, smelly and poisonous.

Crown flower has several secondary metabolites including usharin, alpha and beta-calotropeol, fatty acids, tetracyclic triterpenes, giganteol, kardenolida calotropin, α-amirin, taraxasterol, β-sitosterol, α-amyrin methylbutazone, α-amirin acetate, β-amirin acetate, lupeol acetate, flavonol glycoside.

Akundarol, uscharidin, kalotropon, frugoside, kalaktin, kalotoxin, kalotropagenin, benzoilisoline-lon, benzoillineolone, flavonoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, steroids, glycosides, saponins, coumarin, terpenes, alcohols, resins, kalotropeols, uzarigenin and voruscharin.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Asclepiadeae
Subtribe: Asclepiadinae
Genus: Calotropis
Species: Calotropis gigantea

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