Asclepias eriocarpa

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Asclepias eriocarpa
Asclepiaseriocarpa.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Asclepias
Species:
A. eriocarpa
Binomial name
Asclepias eriocarpa
Synonyms

Asclepias fremontii

Asclepias eriocarpa is a species of milkweed known by the common names woollypod milkweed, Indian milkweed, and kotolo. It is a perennial herb that grows in many types of habitats.

Contents

Description

Asclepias eriocarpa is an erect perennial herb which is usually coated in a thick layer of white hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval, rippled, and arranged oppositely in pairs or in whorls of 3 or 4. The inflorescence is a large umbel-like cluster of flowers. Each flower is white to cream and usually tinted with bright pink. It has a central array of rounded hoods and a corolla reflexed against the stalk. The fruit is a large, woolly follicle. Flowers bloom May to October. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Asclepias eriocarpa is native to California and adjacent parts of Nevada and Baja California. It grows in many habitat types such as rocky hillsides, woods, deserts, and especially dry areas. [2]

Uses

The plant was used as a source of fiber and medicine by several California Indian groups, including the Ohlone and Luiseño. [3] The Concow tribe calls the plant bō'-kō (Konkow language). [4]

Ecology

Asclepias eriocarpa is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant. It is one of the most poisonous milkweeds. Natural History July/August 2015 calls it the most poisonous, but most sources put it below A. lancifolia (now known as Asclepias perennis).[ dubious ]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Asclepias incarnata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Asclepias asperula</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Asclepias curassavica</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Asclepias verticillata</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias verticillata, the whorled milkweed, eastern whorled milkweed, or horsetail milkweed, is a species of milkweed native to most of eastern North America and parts of western Canada and the United States.

<i>Asclepias fascicularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias fascicularis is a species of milkweed known by the common names narrowleaf milkweed and Mexican whorled milkweed. It is a perennial herb that grows in a variety of habitats.

<i>Asclepias californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias californica is a species of milkweed known by the common name California milkweed. It grows throughout lower northern, central and southern California.

<i>Lithospermum canescens</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum canescens, or the hoary puccoon is a perennial herb endemic to eastern North America. The plant grows in a variety of habitats. It has golden yellow flowers which bloom from April to May.

<i>Asclepias erosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias erosa is a species of milkweed known commonly as desert milkweed. It is native to southern California, Arizona, and northern Baja California, where it is most abundant in the desert regions.

<i>Asclepias speciosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias speciosa is a milky-sapped perennial plant in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), known commonly as the showy milkweed and is found in the western half of North America.

<i>Asclepias cordifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias cordifolia is a species of milkweed commonly called heart-leaf milkweed or purple milkweed. It is native to the western United States, growing between 50 to 2,000 m elevation in the northern Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. Heart-leaf milkweed was valued by the Native American Miwok tribe for its stems, which they dried and processed into string and rope.

<i>Asclepias solanoana</i> Species of plant

Asclepias solanoana is a rare species of milkweed known by the common names serpentine milkweed, prostrate milkweed, and solanoa. It is endemic to California, where it grows only in the North Coast Ranges north of the San Francisco Bay Area.

<i>Asclepias welshii</i> Species of plant

Asclepias welshii is a rare species of milkweed known by the common name Welsh's milkweed. It is native to southern Utah and northern Arizona, where there are four known occurrences remaining. Most of the plants occur in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, where the habitat has been degraded in many areas by off-road vehicle use. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Asclepias quadrifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias quadrifolia, commonly called four-leaved milkweed or fourleaf milkweed, is a species of milkweed in the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family. It is sometimes referred to as whorled milkweed, but it should not be confused with Asclepias verticillata. A. quadrifolia occurs in the eastern United States and Canada.

<i>Asclepias uncialis</i> Species of plant

Asclepias uncialis is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family known by the common name wheel milkweed. It is native to the western United States. Two subspecies are sometimes described, with ssp. ruthiae containing three plants which are sometimes described as separate species, Asclepias ruthiae, A. eastwoodiana, and A. sanjuanensis.

<i>Asclepias lanceolata</i> Species of plant

Asclepias lanceolata, the fewflower milkweed, is a species of milkweed that is native to the coastal plain of the United States from New Jersey to Florida and Southeast Texas. A. lanceolata is an upright, perennial plant that can grow between 3 and 5 feet tall, with red-orange flowers blooming in the summer months. It can also be referred to as Cedar Hill milkweed, as it was first described by Dr. Eli Ives in the neighborhood of Cedar Hill in New Haven, Connecticut.

<i>Asclepias sullivantii</i> Species of plant

Asclepias sullivantii is a species of flowering plant in the milkweed genus, Asclepias. Common names include prairie milkweed, Sullivant's milkweed, and smooth milkweed. It is native to North America, where it occurs in the central United States and Ontario in Canada.

<i>Asclepias curtissii</i> Species of plant

Asclepias curtissii, or Curtiss's milkweed, is a rare species of flowering milkweed that is endemic to Florida's sandy areas. Curtiss's milkweed belongs to the subfamily Asclepiadoideae and the genus Asclepias. This dicotyledonous, perennial plant was placed on the endangered species list by the state of Florida to protect this rare milkweed. Although Curtiss milkweed is found all over Florida, the populations are very isolated and concentrated.

<i>Asclepias viridiflora</i> Species of plant

Asclepias viridiflora, is commonly known as green comet milkweed, green-flower milkweed, and green milkweed. It is a widely distributed species of milkweed (Asclepias), known from much of the eastern and central United States from Connecticut to Georgia to Arizona to Montana, as well as southern Canada. The Latin specific epithet viridiflora means green-flowered.

<i>Asclepias prostrata</i>

Asclepias prostrata, commonly known as prostrate milkweed, is a species of perennial plant in the genus Asclepias. It has triangular to elliptical foliage with wavy margins, stems up to 16 inches (410 mm) long, and grows low to the ground in sandy soils. Flowering may be dependent on rainfall to bring the plant out of dormancy, but is most typical from April to October. Like other milkweeds, A. prostrata flowers are a food source for pollinator insects such as bees, wasps, and the Monarch butterfly.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer - Asclepias eriocarpa". NatureServe Explorer Asclepias eriocarpa. NatureServe. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. Ethnobotany
  4. Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 404. Retrieved 24 August 2012.