Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Color: Rose-purple
Common name: Showy Milkweed
Latin name: Asclepias speciosa
Family: APOCYNACEAE (genus previously included in Asclepiadaceae)
Height: 2-6 feet
Description: The intricate corolla is abruptly bent or curved downward or backward and is two-tone rose-purple. The stem is erect or angles/curves up from the base about 30 to 60 degrees away from vertical. The fruit is filled with many flat oval seeds with luxuriant silky plumes. True to its common name the sap is milky.
Leaf: The plentiful large, pointed, banana-like leaves are arranged opposite on the stalklike stem.
Range: California including White and Inyo Mountains, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts and desert mountains
Habitat: Many habitats including fields, roadsides
Elevation: 0–1900 m.
Flowering time: May–Jul
Notes: Many Native American peoples use all parts of this plant for a great number of medicinal uses and ate some parts as a food. Asclepias is after Asklepios, the Greek god of healing. Speciosa means "showy." Asclepias speciosa, a dicot, is a perennial herb that is native to California and is also found elsewhere in North America and beyond. It can cause minor dermatitis. Photographed with a Canon EOS 20D and 100mm macro lens.
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