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big-leaf milkweed, Lemmon's milkweed

asclépiade panachée, red-ringed milkweed, redring milkweed, white milkweed

Habit Herbs. Herbs.
Stems

1–3, erect to ascending, unbranched, very stout, 100–150 cm, densely hirsute, not glaucous, rhizomes absent(?).

1–few, erect, unbranched, 30–120 cm, puberulent with curved trichomes, sometimes in a single line, sometimes glaucous, rhizomes absent.

Leaves

opposite, petiolate, with 1 stipular colleter on each side of petiole;

petiole 1–5 mm, hirsute;

blade oval or oblong to ovate, 7–22 × 3–14 cm, subsucculent, base truncate to subcordate, margins entire, apex obtuse to truncate or emarginate, mucronate, venation brochidodromous, secondary veins nearly orthogonal, surfaces hirsute, margins ciliate, 8–16 laminar colleters.

opposite, petiolate, with 1 or 2 stipular colleters on each side of petiole;

petiole 10–25 mm, puberulent with curved trichomes;

blade oval to ovate, obovate, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 6–15 × 3–9 cm, subcoriaceous, base cuneate to obtuse or subtruncate, margins sometimes crisped, apex rounded to obtuse, apiculate or mucronate, venation eucamptodromous to faintly brochidodromous, surfaces puberulent on veins with curved trichomes, sometimes glaucous, margins ciliate, 8–12 laminar colleters.

Inflorescences

terminal, paired, and extra-axillary, pedunculate, 21–53-flowered;

peduncle 6–13 cm, densely hirsute, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel.

terminal, branched, also usually extra-axillary at 1 distal node, pedunculate, 11–28-flowered;

peduncle 1–7 cm, densely puberulent with curved trichomes, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel.

Pedicels

13–22 mm, densely hirsute.

12–20 mm, densely puberulent with curved trichomes.

Flowers

erect to pendent;

calyx lobes lanceolate, 3.5–6 mm, apex acute, hirsute;

corolla cream to greenish cream or ochroleucous, sometimes tinged pink, lobes reflexed with spreading tips, elliptic, 9–11 mm, apex acute, glabrous;

gynostegial column 0.5–1 mm;

fused anthers greenish brown, cylindric, 2.5–3 mm, wings right-triangular, closed, apical appendages oval;

corona segments cream to ochroleucous, sometimes tinged pink, shiny, subsessile, conduplicate, 6–8 mm, equaling or exceeding style apex, apex truncate, spreading and tapering, glabrous, internal appendage laterally compressed, erect, barely exserted, glabrous;

style apex shallowly depressed, green or pink.

erect to spreading;

calyx lobes lanceolate, 2–3 mm, apex acute, pilosulous;

corolla white, red-violet in throat, lobes reflexed with spreading tips, elliptic, 6–8 mm, apex acute, glabrous abaxially, minutely papillose at base adaxially;

gynostegial column red-violet, 1–2 mm;

fused anthers brown, truncately obconic, 1.5–2 mm, wings right-triangular, rounded, closed, apical appendages ovate;

corona segments white, stipitate, conduplicate with a lateral flange on each side, 2.5–4 mm, exceeding style apex, apex truncate, glabrous, internal appendage falcate, exserted, sharply inflexed over style apex, glabrous;

style apex shallowly depressed, white.

Seeds

ovate, 6–7 × 4–5 mm, margin winged, faces minutely rugulose;

coma 4–4.5 cm.

ovate, 5–7 × 3–5 mm, margin winged, faces rugulose;

coma 2.5–4 cm.

Follicles

erect on upcurved pedicels, lance-ovoid, 9.5–13.5 × 2–3 cm, apex attenuate, smooth, densely hirsute.

erect on upcurved pedicels, narrowly fusiform, 10–15 × 1.5–2 cm, apex long-acuminate, smooth, pilosulous.

Asclepias lemmonii

Asclepias variegata

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep; fruiting Aug–Oct. Flowering Mar–Aug; fruiting Jun–Nov.
Habitat Canyons, slopes, streamsides, rocky and clay soils, pine-oak, pine, and riparian forests, oak woodlands, marshes. Ridges, slopes, bluffs, flats, glades, ravines, streamsides, lake shores, limestone, sandstone, basalt, clay, sandy, silty, and marl soils, oak-hickory, oak, mixed-hardwood, pine-mixed-hardwood, pine-oak-hickory, and pine forests, oak, pine, pine-oak, oak-hickory, and riparian woodlands, forest edges and openings.
Elevation 1200–2200 m. (3900–7200 ft.) 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Sonora, Zacatecas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

A highly distinctive species, Asclepias lemmonii just barely enters the United States in southern Arizona (Cochise, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties), where it inhabits canyons in pine-oak clad sky-island ranges. Asclepias elata is a common co-inhabitant of these canyons. Asclepias lemmonii has been documented from the Baboquiviri, Chiricahua, Huachuca, and Santa Rita mountains, and it is not common in any of these. It is considered to be of conservation concern in Arizona. The large, hirsute leaves with nearly orthogonal venation and robust, hirsute stems of A. lemmonii are unmatched among American milkweeds. Plants may reach heights over 2 m in the main range of the species in the northern Sierra Madre Occidental.

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

Asclepias variegata and the following species (A. exaltata, A. purpurascens, and A. quadrifolia) inhabit deciduous forest understories in eastern North America and often co-occur. Asclepias variegata has showy, snowball-like spheres of bright white flowers. On closer examination, the staminal column of each flower is colored reddish purple, forming a neat belt between the corona and corolla. Non-flowering specimens have been confused with A. purpurascens. The leaves of A. variegata have a thicker texture, and the blade apices are broader and more rounded than in A. purpurascens. Asclepias variegata has suffered serious declines at the northeastern margin of its range and is reported to have been extirpated from Ontario and Connecticut. In addition, it is considered to be of conservation concern in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

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

Source FNA vol. 14. 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. 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. 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. 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. verticillata, A. vestita, A. viridiflora, A. viridis, A. viridula, A. welshii
Synonyms Biventraria variegata
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 85. (1883) — (as lemmoni) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 215. (1753)
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