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Asclepias erosa Torr.

Desert milkweed

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderGentianalesGentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
FamilyAsclepiadaceaeIncludes some herbs, twining shrubs, lianas, leafless stem succulents, rarely trees
GenusAsclepiasFor Asklepios, the Greek god of healing
SpecieserosaJagged or bitten off at the edges, as if irregularly gnawed, referring to the ruffled, saw-edged leaf margins

About plant names...

Desert milkweed is native to northern Baja California, south­ern California, and Arizona. It favors dry slopes, road­sides, and washes, at elevations below 5000′ (1.5 km), in full sun.

Plants: Single, erect, yellow-green stems, to 3½′ (1 m) in height, rarely approaching 6½′ (2 m).

Leaves: Leaves are a pale whitish green color, sometimes darker green, with prominent white veins. They are opposite, and vary from hairless to very hairy. Leaves are often curled, with wrinkled edges, and are lanceolate to ovate.

Flowers: Flowers are cream-colored to yellowish or green­ish, forming roughly spherical umbels about 1½-3½″ (3.8-8.9 cm) in diameter. Each flower has 5 petals, which open fully and may be bent back (reflexed). Fully opened, the flowers are about ⅜″ (9.5 mm) around. The reproductive parts of the flower form a second star-shaped structure in the center. Flowers appear from April to July.

Fruits: Oval-shaped, sharp-tipped capsules, 2½-3½″ (7-9 cm) long, containing seeds with long, silken parachutes.

Edibility: Milkweed stems contain a thick latex sap that some indigenous peoples roasted, producing a kind of chewing gum.

Online References:

Calscape.org

Www.americansouthwest.net

CalPhotos

Arizonensis.org

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Www.inaturalist.org

Calflora

SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

 

Asclepias erosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm)

Asclepias erosa (desert milkweed)

5/4/2018 · Amboy Road, Cali­fornia · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)

Range:

About this map...