Gomphocarpus, placed in the Apocynaceae family is a genus of milkweeds first described as a genus in 1810. It is widespread across much of Africa, with a few species naturalized in other regions. The generic name is derived from the Latin words, gompho, meaning club and carpus, meaning fruit, in reference to the shape of the fruit.

Gomphocarpus tomentosus, synonymously known as Asclepias burchellii, Asclepias lanata, Asclepias nutans, Asclepias villosa, Gomphocarpus fruticosus var. tomentosus, Gomphocarpus lanatus or Gomphocarpus nutans and commonly known as Woolly Milkweed, is a common and widespread South African indigenous species found in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West Provinces, extending into Angola, Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique. It grows into a shrubby perennial herb of up to 1.5 m tall. The stems are erect, branched, woody near the base and the young branches are densely tomentose.