Asclepias eminens

Asclepias eminens, commonly the large turret-flower, motsoko in Southern Sotho and scientifically previously Gomphocarpus eminens, is a perennial that reaches heights from 16 cm to 37 cm. The plants grow from tuberous roots.

Branching from the base, the stems sometimes recline with tips that may be erect. Stems and peduncles of the inflorescences are hairy in parts or on one side, hairless elsewhere.

The species distribution is in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and the provinces north of the Vaal River, also in some neighbouring states to the north. The photo was taken near Johannesburg. The northerly plants bear smaller flowers.

The habitat is grassland and rocky slopes. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

The plant is eaten raw or cooked as a spinach or boiled in milk as a tonic (Pooley, 1998; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; JSTOR; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).