Asclepias eriocarpa

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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.

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).

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.
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