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LIFESTYLE
Milkweed
Mediterranean vegetables and tapas. • Asclepia/Gomphocarpus fruticosus balloon-like, pointed structure that
Purslane is loaded with omega-3 fatty (Milkweed): This indigenous weed represents the fruit. In Gauteng we find
acids and is a strong antioxidant. is easy to recognise because of the the weed on unused land and it grows in
wetland areas and along watercourses.
Asclepia physocarpus prevalent in
Kwazulu-Natal has a rounded fruit. The
plant as a whole is poisonous and is
not eaten by livestock. It is a food plant
for the larva of the African monarch
butterfly. The caterpillars are immune
to the poisonous alkaloids and have
developed the ability to store them to
their own advantage. The larvae are
foul-tasting to predators.
• Milkweed plants are nature’s first effort
to stabilise a disturbed ecosystem. It is
one of a collection of weeds with a root
system capable of penetrating subsoil.
The flowers and fruit are an attractive
addition to a meadow garden.
“A weed is a plant whose
virtues have not yet been
discovered”
- Emerson
Pigweed
INTRA MUROS APRIL 2020 27
