Native to North Africa, Tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina (Wikipedia)
"a large shrub with waxy stems and leaves that contain a milky sap. Its relatively large greyish-green leaves (5-20 cm long and 4-10 cm wide) are borne in pairs and are stem-clasping. Its flowers (20-30 mm across) have five petals that are white with purplish-coloured tips and a purplish crown-like centre. Its fruit is a large (8-12 cm long) bladdery 'pod' that is greyish-green in colour. This fruit splits open at maturity to release numerous seeds, each topped with a tuft of long, white, silky hairs." (Weeds of Australia)