Kapok Bush (Aerva javanica)

Aerva javanica is a herbaceous, multi-stemmed, soft-wooded plant, and often has an erect growth habit, up to a height of about 1.6 metres. Growing across the top end of Australia from Queensland, through the Northern Territory to Western Australia, they have also been documented in parts of New South Wales and Central Australia.

Aerva javanica has a number of common names including Aerva, Desert Cotton, Java Aerva, Kapok Bush, Kapokbush, Pillow Bush and Snow Bush. It has a widespread distribution across much of Africa (including Madagscar), south-west and south of Asia, and now across much of northern Australia.

It is listed as a “weed” in a number of sources including the Weeds of Australia.³

The plant bears simple leaves, that vary between 2-7 cm long, are alternately arranged along the stems. The leaves can be variable in shape from long and narrow (linear) to being almost round (sub-orbicular).

The plant is dioecious (meaning male and female flowers are produced on separate individuals). The stems and leaves, particularly the undersides, are densely covered in whitish woolly hairs. It is a deep rooted plant, that has been used as soil binder in desert reclamation. Other uses include fuel and fodder for goats. It has been documented as being used in traditional medicine (the seeds are believed to cure headaches), whilst a gargle is made from the plant to treat a toothache.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Phylum: Tracheophyta
• Subphylum: Angiospermae
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Order: Caryophyllales
• Family: Amaranthaceae
• Subfamily: Amaranthoideae
• Genus: Aerva
• Species: Aerva javanica

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FloraFlora in Australia Flora Index Acacia Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paws) Annual Yellowtop Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum var filiforme Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Australian Bluebell Australian Gossypium Banksia Batswing Coral Tree Billy Buttons Birdsville Indigo Blue Pincushion Bush Banana Callistemon Callitris drummondii (Drummond’s Cypress Pine) Calothamnus quadrifidus Cape Honeysuckle Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) Cattle Bush Common Heath Crotalaria Darwinia wittwerorum (Wittwer’s Mountain Bell) Daviesia oppositifolia (Rattle-pea) Desert Oaks Drumsticks Eremophila Eucalyptus Ficus Flannel Cudweed (Actinobole uliginosum) Georges Indigo Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting Goodenia Gossypium Grass and Grasses Grass Trees Grevillea Grey Germander Hakea Kapok Bush (Aerva javanica) Lambertia sp Leptospermum MacDonnell Ranges Cycad Maireana scleroptera Mexican Poppy Minnie Daisy Mistletoe Family Nardoo Native Apricot Nicotiana megalosiphon subspecies sessilifolia Nuytsia floribunda Orange Spade Flower Orchidaceae Parakeelyas (Calandrinia) Pebble Bush (Stylobasium spathulatum) Perennial Yellow Top Pink Everlasting Pink Rock Wort Poached Egg Daisy Portulaca Proteaceae Ptilotus Quandong Resurrection Fern Rosy Dock Ruby Saltbush Santalum Solanum Spike Centaury Spinifex Storkbill (Erodum cygnorum) Striped Mint Bush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tall Saltbush Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Tribulus eichlerianus Upside-down Plant Urodon dasyphylla Variable Daisy Waratah (Telopea) Wertabona Daisy White Cedar (Melia azedarach) White Indigo White Paper Daisy Wild Passionfruit Wild Stock Woolly-Headed Burr Daisy Woolly Bush Yellow-keeled Swainsona

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