Desert Milkweed
Asclepias erosa
Common name: Desert Milkweed
Latin name: Asclepias erosa
Family: ASCLEPIADACEAE
Color: Cream, greenish white
Height: 18 to more than 36 inches tall.
Description: Cluster/umbel of flowers on white wooly stems and leaves that become smooth with age.
Leaf: 3 to 6 inches, opposite, thick textured, blade lanceolate, sometimes clasping stem.
Range: Southwestern California, White and Inyo Mountains, Deserts.
Habitat: Creosote bush scrub, Joshua tree woodland, pinyon-juniper woodland, valley grassland. Dry slopes, washes, along roadsides.
Elevation: 150–1900 m.
Flowering time: May–Jul
Notes: Perennial herb that is native to California and is also found outside of California, i.e. Arizona, Baja California; but is confined to western North America. Can cause minor dermatitis. Grows scattered as opposed to occurring in large stands. Photographed Mojave Desert near Hesperia, Calif.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
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The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms
