Common name: Balloon Cotton Bush
Gomphocarpus physocarpus E.Mey. APNI* Synonyms: Asclepias physocarpa (E.Mey.) Schltr. APNI*
Description: Shrub 0.5–2 m high, stems few, finely hairy when young.
Leaves with lamina linear to narrow-lanceolate, 4–7 cm long, 0.6–2 cm wide, soft, smooth, tapering to a fine point, base attenuate; petiole 3–10 mm long.
Umbels 5–10-flowered; pedicels slender, 10–20 mm long. Flowers 12–13 mm diam., pendent. Corolla lobes ovate, ciliate, 6–7 mm long.
Follicles globose or subglobose, 5–7.5 cm long, 4–5.5 cm diam., not falcate, abruptly pointed, terminal beak very short, inconspicuous, sunken into indented tip.
Flowering: spring–autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Common in waste places and on river banks; north from Camden district. Native of S Afr.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *CWS
Other Australian states: *Qld *S.A.
Possibly hybridizes with Gomphocarpus fruticosus.
Text by G. J. Harden & J. B. Williams
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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