Asclepias variegata

Asclepias variegata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Asclepias
Species:	A. variegata
Binomial name
Asclepias variegata L.
Synonyms
Biventraria variegata(L.) Small

Asclepias variegata, commonly called the redring milkweed ^[1] or white milkweed, ^[2] is a plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found in Canada and the United States. ^[3] It is most common in the Southeastern United States, and becomes rare in the northern edge of its range.

Description

Asclepias variegata is a perennial herb, with stems reaching between 20 and 100 centimeters in height. Its leaves are most commonly opposite, arranged in 2 to 5 pairs and range in length from 5 to 14 centimeters. ^[4]

It produces small white flowers with purplish centers that area crowded into round, terminal clusters. ^[5]

Ecology

Habitat

A. variegata is found most commonly in upland woodlands and mesic hammocks, but also occurs on bluffs, and in savannas, often in sandy soils. ^{[6] [7] [8]} This species prefers higher light levels. ^[9]

It often occurs alongside species such as pine, hickory, oak, and sweetgum, among others. ^[9]

Phenology

This species flowers in early summer. ^[2] Fruiting has been observed from late summer into fall. ^[9]

Fire Ecology

A. variegata possesses a deep taproot which allows it to regenerate post-fire. ^[9] It has been found in pinelands and pine-oak-hickory stands that regularly receive prescribed burns. ^[9]

Conservation status in the United States

It is endangered in the states of New York, and Pennsylvania. ^[10] It is listed as a special concern species and believed extirpated in Connecticut. ^[11]

References

1. NRCS. "Asclepias variegata". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 26 August 2017.
2. Alan Weakley. "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
3. "Asclepias variegata". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
4. Radford, Albert Ernest; Ahles, Harry E.; Bell, Clyde Ritchie (1983). Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas (9. printing ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. ISBN   978-0-8078-1087-3.
5. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". wildflower.org. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
6. Weakley, A.S. 2020. Flora of the Southeastern United States. Edition of 20 October 2020. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
7. Wunderlin, Richard P.; Hansen, Bruce F. (2011). Guide to the vascular plants of Florida (3rd ed.). Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. ISBN   978-0-8130-3543-7.
8. Yatskievych, George (2006). Flora of Missouri, Volume 2. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. pp. 156–157.
9. Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, H. Kurz, K. Craddock Burks, James R. Burkhalter, L G Plank, Gary R. Knight, Andre F. Clewell, R. Kral, Richard S. Mitchell, Lisa Keppner, Ed Keppner, D.C. Hunt, R. Komarek, Wilson Baker, and R. F. Doren. States and Counties: Florida: Leon, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Jackson, Gadsden, Liberty, Jefferson, Wakulla, Walton, and Bay. Georgia: Grady and Thomas.
10. "Plants Profile for Asclepias variegata (Redring milkweed)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
11. "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 31 December 2017.(Note: This list is newer than the one used by plants.usda.gov and is more up-to-date.)