Asclepias eriocarpa
| Asclepias eriocarpa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific 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.
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.
Distribution[]
Asclepias eriocarpa is native to California and adjacent parts of Nevada and Baja California, where it grows in many habitat types, especially dry areas.
Uses[]
The plant was used as a source of fiber and medicine by several California Indian groups, including the Ohlone and Luiseño.[1] The Concow tribe calls the plant bō'-kō (Konkow language).[2]
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 ] No source found, said whether the toxicity is due to high levels of cardioactive glycosides, or to the presence of a neurotoxic resin which some milkweeds produce in addition to the glycosides.
References[]
- ^ Ethnobotany
- ^ Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 404. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
External links[]
- Asclepias
- Butterfly food plants
- Flora of Baja California
- Flora of California
- Flora of Nevada
- Flora of the Cascade Range
- Flora of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)
- Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
- Flora of the California desert regions
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
- Natural history of the Colorado Desert
- Natural history of the Mojave Desert
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges