Asclepias perennis

Last updated

Asclepias perennis
Asc perennis close up.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Asclepias
Species:
A. perennis
Binomial name
Asclepias perennis

Asclepias perennis, also known as aquatic milkweed or white swamp milkweed (not to be confused with swamp milkweed; Asclepias incarnata), is a North American species of milkweed that is found throughout the Coastal Plain from eastern Texas to southern South Carolina, northward along the Mississippi River, and into the Ohio Valley of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. There seems to be a few disjunct populations in Arkansas, Texas, and Indiana.

Contents

Asclepias perennis - Grown by Pat Mahon Asc perennis.jpg
Asclepias perennis - Grown by Pat Mahon

A similar species, Asclepias texana , looks morphologically similar but differs by a very divided distribution (central and western Texas), growing in dry rocky soils, and having more broadly ovate leaves.

Description

The aquatic milkweed is a cold-hardy herbaceous perennial that forms a strong fibrous (sometimes woody) rootstock, [1] growing to 46–61 cm (18–24 in) in height. [2] The lateral stems arise from the main stem, and can be many. [3]

Leaves - opposite, linear to narrowly lanceolate to elliptical, glabrous, 8–13 cm (3.1–5.1 in) in length, 1–4 cm (0.39–1.57 in) in width, dull green adaxial, lighter green abaxial, petioles to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in length; Inflorescence - 2 cm (0.79 in) in length, erect umbel, single peduncle per node, with one or more peduncles per stem, terminal and axillary, rays of inflorescence subtended by linear bracts 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) in length, 1 mm (0.039 in) in width, sparsely pubescent, having involucre, with 25+ flowers per peduncle; Flowers - 2 mm (0.079 in) in diameter and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in length, pedicels 1 cm (0.39 in), horns extend beyond the hoods, corollas reflexed, flower color ranges from whitish to pink; Pods - follicles 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) in length, pendent, ovate to broadly elliptic-ovate, surface smooth, glabrous; Seeds - c.12–17 mm (0.47–0.67 in) in length, margins broadly winged, coma absent. [4] [2] [5] [1]

Ecology

Found in low wet woods, cypress swamps, lake and pond margins, slow streams, and wet ditches. [1] Native substrate is typically organic-rich and saturated. It can thrive in partial sun to full sun. [3] This species is secure, and found in 13 states. The Aquatic Milkweed has adapted to disperse seed by water, as the seeds float and lack the comas utilized by other milkweeds to disperse by air. [1] It is a known host plant for the Monarch Butterfly. Blooms May - September. [2]

Cultivation

The aquatic milkweed is commercially available by both seed and propagated plants. Seed readily germinates, and mature flowering plants can be grown in as little as three to four months. Plants can be successfully grown in containers as small as a quart, and amount of stems increases with size of container. [3] This species thrives with an abundance of water, in which substrate should retain good moisture levels and rarely, if ever, dry out. [3] Cold hardiness has been noted to -23 °C. [2]

Related Research Articles

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

Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as butterfly weed, is a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is commonly known as butterfly weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar.

<i>Mercurialis perennis</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Mercurialis perennis, commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland. A member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), it is a herbaceous, downy perennial with erect stems bearing simple, serrate leaves. The dioecious inflorescences are green, bearing inconspicuous flowers from February to April. It characteristically forms dense, extensive carpets on the floor of woodlands and beneath hedgerows.

<i>Pachypodium ambongense</i> Species of flowering plant

Pachypodium ambongense is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It was first published as a species of the genus Pachypodium in 1924 by the botanist Henri Louis Poisson.

<i>Pachypodium baronii</i> Species of flowering plant

Pachypodium baronii, the Madagascar palm or bontaka, is a flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It has the habit of a robust shrub with a spherical or bottle-shaped trunk. It has several cylindrical branches at the top.

Pachypodium bicolor is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae.

<i>Pachypodium brevicaule</i> Species of flowering plant

Pachypodium brevicaule is a species of plant that belongs to the family Apocynaceae.

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

Asclepias incarnata, the swamp milkweed, rose milkweed, rose milkflower, swamp silkweed, or white Indian hemp, is a herbaceous perennial plant species native to North America. It grows in damp through wet soils and also is cultivated as a garden plant for its flowers, which attract butterflies and other pollinators with nectar. Like most other milkweeds, it has latex containing toxic chemicals, a characteristic that repels insects and other herbivorous animals.

<i>Amaranthus wrightii</i> Species of flowering plant

Amaranthus wrightii is a species of flowering plant. It goes by the common name of Wright's amaranth. It occurs from western Texas into southern Arizona and as far north as Colorado at elevations between 500–2,000 m (1,600–6,600 ft).

<i>Nepenthes rigidifolia</i> Species of pitcher plant from Sumatra

Nepenthes rigidifolia is a critically endangered tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of 1000–1600 m above sea level.

<i>Dypsis ambositrae</i> Species of plant in the family Arecaceae

Dypsis ambositrae is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Madagascar where it is threatened by habitat loss.

<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>Hypericum mutilum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum mutilum is a species of St. John's wort known by the common name dwarf St. John's wort. It is native to parts of North America and is present in other parts as an introduced species. It is an annual or perennial herb taking a multibranched erect form up to about 60 centimeters tall. The oval green leaves are one or two centimeters long and are covered in tiny glands. The inflorescence is a compound cyme of tiny flowers. H. mutilum subsp. mutilum and subsp. boreale have a diploid number of 16, and H. mutilum subsp. boreale can have a diploid number of 18.

<i>Nepenthes andamana</i> Species of pitcher plant from Thailand

Nepenthes andamana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Phang Nga Province, Thailand, where it grows near sea level in coastal savannah and grassland. It is thought to be most closely related to N. suratensis.

<i>Nepenthes chang</i> Species of pitcher plant from Thailand

Nepenthes chang is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Banthad Mountains of central Thailand, where it grows at elevations of 300–600 m above sea level. It is thought to be most closely related to N. kampotiana.

<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 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 hirtella</i> Species of plant

Asclepias hirtella, commonly called the tall green milkweed, is a species of flowering plant in the milkweed genus and dogbane family (Apocynaceae). It is native to Canada and the United States, where its range is concentrated in the Midwest and Upper South.

Hypericum cuisinii is a perennial herb in the genus Hypericum, in the section Adenosepalum. The herb has pale yellow flowers and occurs in Greece and Turkey.

<i>Symphyotrichum racemosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to the US

Symphyotrichum racemosum is a species of flowering plant native to parts of the United States and introduced in Canada. It is known as smooth white oldfield aster and small white aster. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a late-summer and fall blooming flower.

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

Asclepias angustifolia, commonly called the Arizona milkweed, is an endemic species of milkweed native only to Arizona.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Asclepias perennis page". missouriplants.com. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Asclepias perennis | Bring Back The Monarchs" . Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Observations made by Pat Mahon - Pure Air Natives, St. Louis, Missouri - pat@pureairnatives.com
  4. "White Swamp Milkweed". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  5. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2020-12-17.