Asclepias obovata |
Asclepias eriocarpa |
|
---|---|---|
pineland milkweed |
Indian milkweed, kotolo, woollypod milkweed, wooly-pod or kotolo or Indian milkweed |
|
Habit | Herbs. | Herbs. |
Stems | 1 (rarely more), erect to spreading, unbranched, 40–70(–200) cm, densely hirtellous to velutinous, not glaucous, rhizomes absent. |
1–10, erect to spreading, rarely branched, 30–100 cm, tomentose to puberulent with curved trichomes or glabrate, not glaucous, rhizomatous. |
Leaves | opposite, petiolate, with 1 or 2 stipular colleters on each side of petiole; petiole 1–4 mm, densely hirtellous to velutinous; blade oblong or elliptic to obovate or ovate, 4–9 × 1–3.5 cm, subcoriaceous, base rounded or truncate to cordate, margins sometimes crisped, apex acute to truncate, sometimes emarginate, often mucronate, venation brochidodromous, surfaces densely hirtellous to velutinous abaxially, hirtellous adaxially, margins ciliate, 8–12 laminar colleters. |
opposite, or alternate or whorled at upper nodes, petiolate, with 0–2 stipular colleters on each side of petiole (sometimes additionally in the axil); petiole 4–15 mm, tomentose; blade oblong or oval to lanceolate or ovate, often conduplicate, 8–20 × 2–8 cm, chartaceous, base obtuse or truncate to cordate, margins entire or often undulate, apex acuminate to obtuse, mucronate, venation brochidodromous, surfaces tomentose to densely puberulent with curved trichomes, margins ciliate, 6–8 laminar colleters. |
Inflorescences | extra-axillary, sometimes also appearing terminal, sessile or pedunculate, 7–31-flowered; peduncle 0–0.5 cm, densely hirtellous to velutinous, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel. |
terminal, sometimes branched, and extra-axillary at upper nodes, pedunculate, 12–57-flowered; peduncle 1–10 cm, densely tomentose, with 1 caducous bract at the base of each pedicel. |
Pedicels | 10–12 mm, densely hirtellous to velutinous. |
15–50 mm, densely tomentose. |
Flowers | erect to pendent; calyx lobes elliptic, 5–6 mm, apex acute, densely hirtellous; corolla green, sometimes tinged reddish or bronze, lobes reflexed, sometimes with spreading tips, elliptic, 7–9 mm, apex acute, glabrous abaxially, minutely papillose at base adaxially; gynostegial column 1–1.5 mm; fused anthers green, obconic, 2.5–4 mm, wings right-triangular, open at base, apical appendages broadly ovate; corona segments bronze to yellow, often tinged red, sometimes apically cream or pale, stipitate, tubular, somewhat flattened laterally, flared at base, 5–8 mm, greatly exceeding style apex, apex rounded, flared, glabrous, internal appendage falcate, exserted, sharply incurved over style apex, glabrous; style apex shallowly depressed, green. |
erect to spreading; calyx lobes lanceolate, 3–4 mm, apex acute, densely tomentose; corolla greenish cream, ochroleucous, or pinkish cream, deep pink or tan abaxially, lobes reflexed, tips usually spreading, oval, 7–9 mm, apex acute, tomentose abaxially towards tips, glabrous adaxially; gynostegial column 1–1.5 mm; fused anthers dark brown, cylindric, 2.5–3 mm, wings right-triangular, closed, apical appendages ovate; corona segments cream to dark pink, stipitate, conduplicate, dorsally rounded, 2.5–3 mm, exceeded by style apex, apex truncate, oblique, papillose, internal appendage falcate, exserted, sharply inflexed towards style apex, papillose; style apex shallowly depressed, cream. |
Seeds | broadly ovate, 8–9 × 6–7 mm, margin winged, faces smooth; coma 2–5 cm. |
ovate, 7–9 × 4–6 mm, margin narrowly winged, faces faintly rugulose; coma 2.5–3 cm. |
Follicles | erect on upcurved pedicels, narrowly to broadly fusiform, 7.5–12.5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, apex acuminate, smooth, densely hirtellous to velutinous. |
erect on upcurved pedicels, lance-ovoid, 5–10 × 1.5–3 cm, apex apiculate, smooth, densely tomentose. |
Asclepias obovata |
Asclepias eriocarpa |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Sep; fruiting Jul–Oct. | Flowering (Apr–)May–Oct; fruiting (May–)Jun–Oct. |
Habitat | Hills, slopes, flats, ridges, sandhills, ditches, seeps, bogs, sandstone, sandy, rocky, silty, and clay soils, pine flatwoods, pine savannas, pine, pine-oak, and bottomland hardwood forests, prairies, often following fires. | Hills, slopes, ridge tops, flats, valleys, canyons, arroyos, stream banks, granite, rocky, alluvial, clay, and sandy soils, meadows, native and non-native grasslands, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, oak and pine-oak woodlands, pine, mixed conifer, and riparian forests, often following fires. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 50–2500 m. (200–8200 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; OK; SC; TX
|
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
|
Discussion | Asclepias obovata is a common milkweed of seasonally wet, sandy soils in pine woodlands of the Gulf Coastal Plain and (rarely) the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. It is rare and considered to be of conservation concern in Arkansas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Asclepias eriocarpa is found almost throughout the California Floristic Province in relatively dry, open sites in a variety of vegetation types. It is the only milkweed in the flora area that regularly produces alternate, opposite, and whorled leaves on a single stem. Its distribution overlaps that of several other broad-leaved, densely vestitured Asclepias species: A. erosa in desert scrub and dry grasslands, A. californica and A. vestita in chaparral and woodlands, and A. speciosa in woodlands. Comparison to A. erosa is presented under that species. Asclepias eriocarpa is easily distinguished from A. californica by the distinctive red-violet, rounded corona segments that lack appendages in the latter species. Asclepias eriocarpa has corona segments with truncate apices and corolla lobes that are tomentose abaxially only at the apex, in contrast to the obtuse corona segments and uniformly pubescent corolla lobes of A. vestita. Asclepias speciosa has distinctive corona segments with long, tapering apices that are much larger than and are easily distinguished from those of A. eriocarpa. It is possible that A. eriocarpa and A. speciosa occasionally hybridize—R. E. Woodson Jr. speculated (via annotation of the holotype, E. Gifford s.n. [CAS]) that A. giffordii Eastwood represented such a hybrid. That interpretation is accepted here. Asclepias eriocarpa is reported to be a resource for fiber and medicine by Native Americans. (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 | ||
Synonyms | A. eriocarpa var. microcarpa, A. fremontii, A. kotolo | |
Name authority | Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 321. (1817) | Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 323. (1849) |
Web links |