Larval Host Plant

Danaus chrysippus – Plain Tiger
Danaus genutia – Striped Tiger
Parantica aglea – Glassy Tiger
Tirumala limniace – Blue Tiger

Nectar Plant

Catochrysops strabo – Forget-me-not
Tarucus balkanica – Little Tiger Pierrot
Tarucus indica – Transparent Pierrot
Danaus chrysippus – Plain Tiger
Danaus genutia – Striped Tiger
Junonia atlites – Grey Pansy

Other notes

Natural History: This is a widely distributed species from tropical Africa through India to SE Asia. It is a large shrub with large, thick leaves. The thick milky sap from broken-off leaves and stems is conspicious. The milky sap contains cardiac glycosides and other cardenolides that impacts heart function by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump, rendering the plant unpalatable to a wide range of herbivores.
It is common by the roadsides and in dry deciduous forests.
Flowers are either white or lavender in colour, with five pointed petals.

References:

Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. 2018. Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10:11495–11550. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3104.10.4.11495-11550.

HOSTS (2023) - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Accessed on 24 Dec 2022. URL: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/.

WFO (2023): World Flora Online. Accessed on 24 Dec 2022. URL: http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000581493.

Flowers of India (2023). Accessed on 24 Dec 2022. URL: http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Crown%20Flower.html.

Page citation

Kawthankar, N. and K. Kunte. 2024. Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand. – Crown Flower. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/calotropis-gigantea, accessed 2024/04/25.