Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias cinerea
blood flower, bloodflower milkweed, hierba de la cucaracha, tropical milkweed, wild ipecacuanha
ashy milkweed, Carolina milkweed
1–several, erect, sparsely to moderately branched, 30–150 cm, minutely pilosulous in a line to glabrate, not glaucous, rhizomes absent.
1, erect, unbranched (rarely branched), 20–100 cm, minutely puberulent in a line with curved trichomes to glabrate, 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.
opposite, sessile, with 1 or 2 stipular colleters on each side of leaf base;
blade filiform, 2–9 × 0.1–0.15 cm, membranous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute, mucronate, venation obscure, surfaces glabrous, 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.
terminal, branched, and extra-axillary at upper nodes, pedunculate, 2–8-flowered;
peduncle 0.5–1.7 cm, puberulent with curved trichomes on 1 side, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel.
7–20 mm, puberulent with curved trichomes.
10–25 mm, minutely puberulent with curved trichomes on 1 side.
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.
spreading to pendent;
calyx lobes lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, apex acute, glabrous;
corolla cream, tinged gray, pink, or purple, faintly striate, lobes reflexed with spreading tips, elliptic, 4–5 mm, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous;
gynostegial column 0–0.5 mm;
fused anthers green, cylindric, 1.5–2 mm, wings narrowly right-triangular, open, apical appendages deltate;
corona segments cream, tinged gray, pink, or purple, sessile, conduplicate, dorsally flattened, 2–3 mm, equaling style apex, apex truncate with a proximal tooth on each side, glabrous, internal appendage a laterally flattened, included crest, glabrous;
style apex shallowly depressed, white.
ovate, 6–7 × 4–5 mm, margin winged, faces minutely rugulose to smooth;
coma 2.5–3 cm.
ovate, 6–7 × 4–5 mm, margin thickly winged, faces sparsely papillose;
coma 2.5–3 cm.
erect on straight pedicels, fusiform, 6–10 × 0.5–1.2 cm, apex acuminate to attenuate, smooth, glabrous.
erect on straight pedicels, fusiform, 8–12 × 0.3–0.7 cm, apex long-attenuate, smooth, glabrous.
= 22.
Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias cinerea
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.)
Similarities between Asclepias cinerea and A. feayi are discussed under the latter species. Asclepias cinerea inhabits flatwoods mostly north of the range of A. feayi, co-occurring only in Clay County as far as is known. Asclepias cinerea is sympatric with another similar species, A. viridula, across northern Florida. That species tends to grow in wetter woods and meadows than A. cinerea. In flower, they are easily distinguished by the spreading to pendent flowers, ashy lavender corollas, and corona segments with included, crestlike appendages of A. cinerea (versus erect to spreading flowers, green to brownish corollas, and corona segments with exerted, falcate appendages of A. viridula). Asclepias cinerea barely enters southeastern Alabama (Covington, Geneva, and Houston counties), and the species is considered to be of conservation concern in that state. Emergence and flowering of this species appears to be stimulated by precipitation events and/or fire.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
