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.
| Asclepias erosa | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Genus: | Asclepias |
| Species: | A. erosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Asclepias erosa | |
Description
editThis 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
editThe 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
editAsclepias erosa is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant.
References
edit- ^ 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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