Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias feayi
blood flower, bloodflower milkweed, hierba de la cucaracha, tropical milkweed, wild ipecacuanha
Feay's milkweed, Florida milkweed
1–several, erect, sparsely to moderately branched, 30–150 cm, minutely pilosulous in a line to glabrate, not glaucous, rhizomes absent.
solitary, erect, unbranched (rarely near base), 20–75 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, 2.5–10 × 0.1–0.15 cm, membranous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute, 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, sometimes branched, and often extra-axillary at upper nodes, sessile or pedunculate, 2–7-flowered;
peduncle 0–5 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.
7–17 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.
erect;
calyx lobes narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 mm, apex acute, glabrous;
corolla white, sometimes pale lavender-tinged, inconspicuously striate, lobes spreading, lanceolate, 7–10 mm, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous;
gynostegium sessile;
fused anthers lavender, cylindric, 1.5–3 mm, wings narrowly right-triangular, open at base, apical appendages ovate;
corona segments white, sessile with a basal collar, cupulate, 2.5–4 mm, equaling to slightly exceeding style apex, apex obtuse, glabrous, internal appendage a laterally flattened, included crest, glabrous;
style apex shallowly depressed, lavender.
ovate, 6–7 × 4–5 mm, margin winged, faces minutely rugulose to smooth;
coma 2.5–3 cm.
oval, 6–8 × 3–5 mm, margin winged, faces smooth;
coma 3.5 cm.
erect on straight pedicels, fusiform, 6–10 × 0.5–1.2 cm, apex acuminate to attenuate, smooth, glabrous.
erect on straight pedicels, fusiform, 9–12 × 0.3–0.6 cm, apex attenuate, smooth, glabrous.
= 22.
Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias feayi
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 feayi is one of a trio of very slender milkweeds in the southeastern United States, along with A. cinerea and A. viridula. These species are divergent in floral morphology, but without flowers they are very difficult to distinguish (even in fruit), and they appear to be close relatives. However, A. feayi occurs primarily in peninsular central and southwestern Florida, from Lake to Collier counties, most commonly in scrub. A single disjunct population has been documented from Clay County in the northeastern part of the state (Hall 1896 [FLAS]). Asclepias cinerea and A. viridula are found in northern Florida or further north, in flatwoods. All three species are cryptic in the absence of flowers and appear to respond positively to fire and rainfall events. They are likely to be more common than is apparent because they are inconspicuous and emerge episodically. Nonetheless, numerous historical locations for A. feayi have been developed and are no longer capable of supporting populations, and its conservation status merits evaluation. An unusual putative hybrid with A. pedicellata represented by a single collection is documented from Marion County (Judd 2639 [FLAS]), suggested by the exactly intermediate floral morphology.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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