Asclepias erosa

Asclepias erosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Asclepias
Species:	A. erosa
Binomial name
	Asclepias erosa; Torr.

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.

Description[]

This milkweed, Asclepias erosa, is a perennial herb with erect yellow-green stems and foliage in shades of pale whitish-green to dark green with white veining. It may be hairless to very fuzzy. The sturdy, pointed leaves grow opposite on the stout stem. Atop the stem is a rounded umbel of yellowish or cream-colored flowers. Each flower has thick, reflexed corollas beneath a flower center composed of rounded, horned filaments.

Uses[]

The plant is filled with a viscous sap that was roasted to a solid and enjoyed as a sort of chewing gum by local Native American groups. Researchers in Bard, California tested the plant as a potential source of natural rubber in 1935.^[1]

Butterflies[]

Asclepias erosa is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant.

References[]

^ Beckett, R. E.; Stitt, R. S.; Duncan, E. N. (1938). Rubber content and habits of a second desert milkweed (Asclepias erosa) of southern California and Arizona. Technical bulletin / United States Department of Agriculture ; no. 604. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

External links[]

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[1] Beckett, R. E.; Stitt, R. S.; Duncan, E. N. (1938). Rubber content and habits of a second desert milkweed (Asclepias erosa) of southern California and Arizona. Technical bulletin / United States Department of Agriculture ; no. 604. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

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