Funastrum cynanchoides
Funastrum cynanchoides | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Genus: | Funastrum |
Species: | F. cynanchoides
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Binomial name | |
Funastrum cynanchoides | |
Synonyms | |
Sarcostemma cynanchoides Decne. |
Funastrum cynanchoides (formerly called Sarcostemma cynanchoides),[1] also known as fringed twinevine, twining milkweed or climbing milkweed, is a perennial plant in the family Apocynaceae that grows twining through other plants in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert.[1] It has milky sap and smells pungent.[1] It is similar to Funastrum hirtellum.[1]
Description
[edit]It is a twining vine-like plant that grows over other shrubs.[1]
Its narrow, arrowhead shaped leaves are opposite and 2.5 to 3.8 centimeters (1 to 1+1⁄2 inches) long.[1]
The flowers are pink to purplish, and are produced in umbrella-like heads (umbels) up to 10 cm (4 in) wide.[1][2]
It has a fruit that is 7.5 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) long, with tufted seeds about 3.5 cm (1+1⁄2 in) long.[1]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]It can be found from Southern California to Utah, Oklahoma and Texas.[2] It grows at the edge of desert dry washes in the eastern Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert at altitudes below 610 meters (2,000 feet).[1]
In urban areas the vine freely climbs on plants, trees, as well as having a preference for chain-link fencing in neglected areas.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Twining_milkweed_vine.jpg/220px-Twining_milkweed_vine.jpg)
Ecology
[edit]The flowers are actively visited and fed on by butterflies, similar to other milkweeds.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i MacKay, Pam (2013). Mojave Desert Wildflowers, 2nd: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert, Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park. FalconGuides. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-7627-8033-4.
- ^ a b Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. p. 350. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
External links
[edit] Media related to Funastrum cynanchoides at Wikimedia Commons
- Calflora Database: Funastrum cynanchoides (Fringed twinevine)
- USDA Plants Profile for Funastrum cynanchoides (fringed twinevine)
- Asclepiadoideae
- North American desert flora
- Vines
- Flora of the California desert regions
- Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
- Flora of Mexico
- Flora of the South-Central United States
- Flora of the Southwestern United States
- Natural history of the Colorado Desert
- Natural history of the Mojave Desert
- Butterfly food plants
- Taxa named by Joseph Decaisne
- Apocynaceae stubs