Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias emoryi
blood flower, bloodflower milkweed, hierba de la cucaracha, tropical milkweed, wild ipecacuanha
Emory's milkweed
1–several, erect, sparsely to moderately branched, 30–150 cm, minutely pilosulous in a line to glabrate, not glaucous, rhizomes absent.
1–4, erect to spreading, unbranched or rarely branched near base, 6–30 cm, puberulent with curved trichomes to hirtellous, not glaucous, rhizomes absent.
persistent or gradually caducous from the base, opposite, petiolate, with 1 or 2 stipular colleters on each side of petiole on a ciliate interpetiolar ridge;
petiole 4–25 mm, puberulent with curved trichomes in a line to glabrate;
blade elliptic or oval to linear, 4–18 × 0.3–4.5 cm, membranous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate to attenuate, venation eucamptodromous to faintly brochidodromous, surfaces sparsely puberulent with curved trichomes on veins abaxially, sparsely puberulent with curved trichomes on veins to glabrate adaxially, margins ciliate, laminar colleters absent.
persistent or gradually caducous from base, opposite, sessile or petiolate, with 1 stipular colleter on each side of petiole;
petiole 0–17 mm, puberulent with curved trichomes to hirtellous;
blade elliptic to lanceolate or lance-ovate, 3–7.5 × 0.4–2.5 cm, chartaceous, base cuneate, margins often crisped, apex acute, venation eucamptodromous, surfaces hirtellous, usually conduplicate, laminar colleters absent.
extra-axillary, pedunculate, 5–22-flowered;
peduncle 0.5–8 cm, puberulent with curved trichomes in a line, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel.
extra-axillary, sessile or pedunculate, 4–8-flowered;
peduncle 0–2 cm, hirtellous, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel.
7–20 mm, puberulent with curved trichomes.
7–10 mm, hirtellous.
erect;
calyx lobes linear-lanceolate, 3–4 mm, apex acute, puberulent with curved trichomes;
corolla red, sometimes yellow in throat (to wholly orange or yellow in cultivars), lobes reflexed with spreading tips, elliptic to oval, 6–9 mm, apex acute, glabrous abaxially, minutely papillose at base adaxially;
gynostegial column 2–2.5 mm;
fused anthers yellowish green to tan, cylindric, 1.5–2 mm, wings narrowly right-triangular, closed, apical appendages deltoid;
corona segments yellow to orange, stipitate, tubular, dorsally somewhat flattened, 3.5–4 mm, exceeding style apex, apex obtuse to acute, glabrous, internal appendage falcate, exserted, arching over style apex, glabrous;
style apex shallowly depressed, yellow.
erect;
calyx lobes linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 3–4 mm, apex acute, hirtellous;
corolla green, sometimes tinged red or brown, faintly striate, lobes reflexed, elliptic, 5–7 mm, apex acute, hirtellous throughout or glabrate at tips abaxially, glabrous adaxially;
gynostegial column 0.5–1 mm;
fused anthers green, obconic, 1–1.5 mm, wings trapezoidal, closed, apical appendages ovate;
corona segments proximally green, distally white or cream, sessile, tubular, 3.5–5.5 mm, greatly exceeding style apex, apex flared, deeply emarginate, minutely papillose, internal appendage lingulate, sharply incurved, at the same level as and closing the segment apex, minutely papillose.
ovate, 6–7 × 4–5 mm, margin winged, faces minutely rugulose to smooth;
coma 2.5–3 cm.
oval, 7 × 5–6 mm, margin winged, faces smooth;
coma 2.5–3.5 cm.
erect on straight pedicels, fusiform, 6–10 × 0.5–1.2 cm, apex acuminate to attenuate, smooth, glabrous.
erect on upcurved pedicels, lance-ovoid, 5–9 × 1.2–2 cm, apex attenuate to acuminate, smooth, puberulent with curved trichomes to hirtellous, sometimes faintly striate.
= 22.
Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias emoryi
Asclepias curassavica is the only non-native Asclepias species naturalized in the flora area. It is very commonly cultivated, originally for its strikingly colored flowers and their attraction of Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. Recently, they have been valued also as a host plant for monarch butterflies. Cultivars with pure orange or pure yellow flowers are readily available. The species develops rapidly from seed and can be grown as an annual (in the horticultural sense) anywhere in the region. Though often described as an annual, like all species of Asclepias, it has a perennial habit. It may persist through mild winters at least as far north as Oklahoma but has only become established in frost-free areas of the southern United States.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Asclepias emoryi is distributed entirely within the range of its close relative, A. oenotheroides. Distinguishing them is discussed under the latter species. A few putative hybrid specimens have been collected. These can be distinguished from A. emoryi by slightly longer corona segments (usually shorter than in A. oenotheroides) with sinuate apices, slightly longer corolla lobes, and slightly broader leaves. Although not accorded conservation concern, A. emoryi is very rarely encountered (across its entire range) and merits study for evaluation of needed protections. Reports of A. emoryi from New Mexico are based upon misidentifications. It is restricted in the flora area almost entirely to southern Texas, but there are a few scattered occurrences to the northwest.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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