I have uploaded my book to the Internet Archive. It is called Unfinished Notes on the Useful Asclepiads and comes in two volumes, Uses and References. It is the result of 16 years reading on all the uses that humans have found for members of the former plant family Asclepiadaceae. They are now in the Apocynaceae subfamilies Asclepiadoideae, Periplocoideae and Secamonoideae.
I decided it would be better to post all the photos on here rather than fill the Internet Archive servers with a photo book. All of these photos are my own work. If you see some on Wikipedia, it is because I put them there. Some have featured on this blog before. Most will open out to a much bigger picture.
Apteranthes europaea
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| Cuttings. |
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| Regrowth after pruning. |
Apteranthes tuberculata
I have an article about this species on this blog here, but it really needs updating.
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| Chongah for sale outside a Manchester grocer. |
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| A single hand of chongah. Squares approx. 1 cm. |
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A cutting grown from a piece of Chongah from Worldwide Foods in Bolton. |
Araujia sericifera
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| Araujia sericifera fruit roasted. Delicious. |
Asclepias syriaca
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| Asclepias syriaca is a robust plant that will reach almost 2 metres tall if fed and watered. |
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| Lightly boiled fruit. Delicious. |
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The insides of slighter more mature pods, the shells were too chewy to eat but the seeds and fluff still tender and tasty. |
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| Note the crab spider waiting for pollinators. |
Boucerosia frerei (née Frerea indica)
I have a huge article on this species in two parts on this blog here and here.
Boucerosia indica
I haven't eaten this one yet. It is tiny and recently doused in pesticide by the exporter.
Caudanthera edulis
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Some shoots burrow under the soil and eventually resurface.
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| Harvest from the smaller plant. |
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| Harvest from the larger plant. |
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| Chopped, stir-fried and served on top of baked potato. Delicious. |
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| The same plant after 5 weeks regrowth. |
Ceropegia bulbosa
I have several mentions of this plant in articles on this blog here.
Cynanchum registanense
Cynanchum rostellatum
I have a full article about this plant on this blog here.
Hoodia currorii?
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The seed was sold as Hoodia macrantha which would now be called Hoodia currorii. I am waiting for it to flower before believing it. I have had Hoodia hybrids pretending to be species before. |
Kushengia sinensis
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| Seeds of variegated Kushengia sinensis. |
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| Seedlings of variegated Kushengia sinensis. |
Leichhardtia australis
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| I am hoping for flowers this year. |
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| Cooked tubers. |
Rhytidocaulon macrolobum
Stephanotis volubilis
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Leaves bought mail order, as received.
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| Leaves bought mail order, nice ones selected and lightly boiled. |
Telosma cordata
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| It keeps growing but no flowers yet. |
Vincetoxicum hirundinaria
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| 15th of June 2026 Manchester, UK |
Vincetoxicum nigrum
