| DESCRIPTION: It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant reaching up to 60-120 cm in height and 60-90 cm in width. The flowers have 5 regular parts and are up to 1cm wide. They are bright orange-red. USE: A fibre is obtained from the bark. It is used in twine, coarse cloth, paper etc. The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc or is mixed with other fibres to make cloth. It is a Kapok substitute, used in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material. It is very water repellent. The floss has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. Rubber can be made from latex contained in the leaves and the stems. The latex is used as a cure for warts. The latex is poisonous if ingested. It is a very ornamental plant. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Purple silkweed, Fewflower milkweed. FURTHER INF: It can be found in eastern United States from New Jersey to Florida and Texas. Found in floodplains, acid swamps, coastal flatwoods, mostly near the coast but also found on dry land. |