Flora of North America species comparison

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Asclepias cordifolia

Asclepias michauxii
Asclepias cordifolia

heart-leaf milkweed, purple milkweed

Michaux's milkweed
Habit Herbs. Herbs.
Stems

1–20, ascending to spreading, unbranched, 25–100 cm, glabrous, glaucous, rhizomes absent.

1–4 (rarely more), spreading to decumbent or ascending, unbranched, 15–30 cm, minutely puberulent with curved trichomes, not glaucous, rhizomes absent.
Leaves

opposite, sessile, stipular colleters absent;

blade ovate to lanceolate, 3.5–11 × 1.8–8 cm, chartaceous, base cordate, clasping, margins entire, apex acute, mucronate, venation brochidodromous to eucamptodromous, surfaces glabrous, glaucous, margins minutely ciliate, laminar colleters absent.

opposite or alternate, sessile, often ascending and appearing secund, with 0 or 1 stipular colleter on each side of leaf base;

blade narrowly linear, 4–9 × 0.1–0.4 cm, chartaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute, venation faintly eucamptodromous to obscure, surfaces glabrous, margins remotely ciliate to glabrate, laminar colleters absent.
Inflorescences

terminal, branched, sometimes also extra-axillary at upper nodes, pedunculate, 5–20-flowered;

peduncle 0.3–6.5 cm, apically sparsely pilose to glabrate, with few bracts.

terminal, sometimes also extra-axillary at upper nodes, sessile or pedunculate, 6–28-flowered;

peduncle 0–4 cm, minutely puberulent with curved trichomes, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel.
Pedicels

16–37 mm, sparsely pilose.

9–12 mm, minutely puberulent on 1 side with curved trichomes.
Flowers

erect to pendent;

calyx lobes elliptic to lanceolate, 3–5 mm, apex acute, pilose;

corolla red-violet, lobes reflexed with spreading tips, oval, 6–7 mm, apex acute, glabrous;

gynostegial column 1–1.5 mm;

fused anthers brown, cylindric, 1.5–2 mm, wings right-triangular, open at tip, apical appendages deltoid;

corona segments white, tinged pink to red-violet at base, sessile, tubular, 2–3 mm, exceeded by style apex, base saccate, apex truncate, oblique, glabrous, internal appendage absent;

style apex shallowly depressed, pink to red-violet.

erect, calyx lobes narrowly lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm, apex acute, sparsely puberulent with curved trichomes to glabrate;

corolla green to tan, tinged pink or red, inconspicuously striate, lobes reflexed with spreading tips, elliptic, 4–5 mm, apex acute, glabrous;

gynostegial column 0.5–1 mm, fused anthers green, broadly cylindric, 1.5–3 mm, wings narrowly right-triangular, open at tip, apical appendages ovate;

corona segments cream, often pink-striped, to magenta, stipitate, cupulate, margins not strongly incurved, 2.5–3.5 mm, slightly exceeding style apex, apex obtuse, glabrous, internal appendage falcate, exserted, sharply inflexed over style apex, glabrous;

style apex shallowly depressed, pale to deep pink.
Seeds

ovate, 8–9 × 5–7 mm, margin not winged, faces reticulate-rugulose;

coma 3–3.5 cm.

ovate, 7–8 × 5–6 mm, margin winged, faces smooth;

coma 1.5–2.5 cm.
Follicles

erect on upcurved pedicels, lance-ovoid, 7.5–10.5 × 1.5–1.8 cm, apex long-acuminate, smooth, glabrous, glaucous.

erect on straight pedicels, narrowly fusiform, 7.5–12.5 × 0.5–0.7 cm, apex long-attenuate, smooth, minutely puberulent with curved trichomes.
2n

= 22.

Asclepias cordifolia

Asclepias michauxii
Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul(–Aug); fruiting Jun–Sep. Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Sep); fruiting May–Aug.
Habitat Hill­sides, canyons, ridge tops, streamsides, seeps, basalt, serpentine, gabbro, granite, shale, limestone, talus slopes, gravel, alluvium, oak woodlands, mixed ever­green, douglas-fir, pine, pine-oak, and riparian forests, chaparral, timberline meadows, grasslands. Flats, hills, ridges, bogs, sandhills, ravines, ditches, clay, sandy, and silty soils, pine flatwoods, oak forests, savannas, wet prairies, often following fires.
Elevation 50–2200(–2800) m. [160–7200(–9200) ft.] 0–200 m. [0–700 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Fresh leaves and stems of Asclepias cordifolia are often slightly or strongly colored bluish, grayish, or purplish. This is one of the few American species of Asclepias with cavitate corona segments that lack adaxial appendages. Such species were segregated along with diverse African species in Gomphocarpus R. Brown, a polyphyletic segregate (M. Fishbein et al. 2011; D. Chuba et al. 2017). Asclepias cordifolia is a distinctive species unlike any other within its range. It is phylogenetically and geographically isolated, although not highly derived morphologically. In Nevada, A. cordifolia is restricted to the Sierra Nevada, in Carson City, Douglas, and Washoe counties. Its range extends to northern California and southwestern Oregon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Asclepias michauxii occurs with, and bears an overall similarity to, A. longifolia. They are distinguished easily in flower by the cavitate corona segments with exserted appendages of A. michauxii. Commonly, A. michauxii has decumbent stems with secund leaves, unlike A. longifolia. In fruit, A. michauxii is distinguished easily by straight pedicels. Like A. longifolia, A. michauxii barely enters Louisiana, east of the Mississippi River (Livingston, Saint Tammany, and Tangipahoa parishes), and is considered to be of conservation concern in that state.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 14. Treatment author: Mark Fishbein. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Apocynaceae > Asclepias Apocynaceae > Asclepias
Sibling taxa
A. albicans, A. amplexicaulis, A. angustifolia, A. arenaria, A. asperula, A. brachystephana, A. californica, A. cinerea, A. connivens, A. cryptoceras, A. curassavica, A. curtissii, A. cutleri, A. eastwoodiana, A. elata, A. emoryi, A. engelmanniana, A. eriocarpa, A. erosa, A. exaltata, A. fascicularis, A. feayi, A. hallii, A. hirtella, A. humistrata, A. hypoleuca, A. incarnata, A. involucrata, A. labriformis, A. lanceolata, A. lanuginosa, A. latifolia, A. lemmonii, A. linaria, A. linearis, A. longifolia, A. macrosperma, A. macrotis, A. meadii, A. michauxii, A. nummularia, A. nyctaginifolia, A. obovata, A. oenotheroides, A. ovalifolia, A. pedicellata, A. perennis, A. prostrata, A. pumila, A. purpurascens, A. quadrifolia, A. quinquedentata, A. rubra, A. rusbyi, A. ruthiae, A. sanjuanensis, A. scaposa, A. solanoana, A. speciosa, A. sperryi, A. stenophylla, A. subulata, A. subverticillata, A. sullivantii, A. syriaca, A. texana, A. tomentosa, A. tuberosa, A. uncialis, A. variegata, A. verticillata, A. vestita, A. viridiflora, A. viridis, A. viridula, A. welshii
A. albicans, A. amplexicaulis, A. angustifolia, A. arenaria, A. asperula, A. brachystephana, A. californica, A. cinerea, A. connivens, A. cordifolia, A. cryptoceras, A. curassavica, A. curtissii, A. cutleri, A. eastwoodiana, A. elata, A. emoryi, A. engelmanniana, A. eriocarpa, A. erosa, A. exaltata, A. fascicularis, A. feayi, A. hallii, A. hirtella, A. humistrata, A. hypoleuca, A. incarnata, A. involucrata, A. labriformis, A. lanceolata, A. lanuginosa, A. latifolia, A. lemmonii, A. linaria, A. linearis, A. longifolia, A. macrosperma, A. macrotis, A. meadii, A. nummularia, A. nyctaginifolia, A. obovata, A. oenotheroides, A. ovalifolia, A. pedicellata, A. perennis, A. prostrata, A. pumila, A. purpurascens, A. quadrifolia, A. quinquedentata, A. rubra, A. rusbyi, A. ruthiae, A. sanjuanensis, A. scaposa, A. solanoana, A. speciosa, A. sperryi, A. stenophylla, A. subulata, A. subverticillata, A. sullivantii, A. syriaca, A. texana, A. tomentosa, A. tuberosa, A. uncialis, A. variegata, A. verticillata, A. vestita, A. viridiflora, A. viridis, A. viridula, A. welshii
Synonyms Acerates cordifolia, Gomphocarpus cordifolius
Name authority (Bentham) Jepson: Fl. W. Calif., 384. (1901) Decaisne in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 8: 569. (1844)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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