Asclepias eriocarpa
Asclepias eriocarpa | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Genus: | Asclepias |
Species: | A. eriocarpa
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Binomial name | |
Asclepias eriocarpa | |
Synonyms | |
Asclepias fremontii |
Asclepias eriocarpa is a species of milkweed known by the common names woollypod milkweed, Indian milkweed, and kotolo. It is a perennial herb that grows in many types of habitats.
Description
[edit]Asclepias eriocarpa is an erect perennial herb which is usually coated in a thick layer of white hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval, rippled, and arranged oppositely in pairs or in whorls of 3 or 4. The inflorescence is a large umbel-like cluster of flowers. Each flower is white to cream and usually tinted with bright pink. It has a central array of rounded hoods and a corolla reflexed against the stalk. The fruit is a large, woolly follicle. Flowers bloom May to October.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Asclepias eriocarpa is native to California and adjacent parts of Nevada and Baja California. It grows in many habitat types such as rocky hillsides, woods, deserts, and especially dry areas.[2]
Uses
[edit]The plant was used as a source of fiber and medicine by several California Indian groups, including the Ohlone and Luiseño.[3] The Concow tribe calls the plant bō'-kō (Konkow language).[4]
Ecology
[edit]Asclepias eriocarpa is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant. It is one of the most poisonous milkweeds. Natural History July/August 2015 calls it the most poisonous, but most sources put it below A. lancifolia (now known as Asclepias perennis).[dubious – discuss]
References
[edit]- ^ "NatureServe Explorer - Asclepias eriocarpa". NatureServe Explorer Asclepias eriocarpa. NatureServe. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ Ethnobotany
- ^ Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 404. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
External links
[edit]- NatureServe secure species
- Asclepias
- Butterfly food plants
- Flora of Baja California
- Flora of California
- Flora of Nevada
- Flora of the Cascade Range
- Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
- Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
- Flora of the California desert regions
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
- Natural history of the Colorado Desert
- Natural history of the Mojave Desert
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges