Asclepias variegata


Author: Glenn Cardenas. EHS major. UGA. E-mail:daskuhl@aol.com

PLANT DISTRIBUTION
photo courtesy of UGA Herbarium photo courtesy of Janet Lanza
Identification
Geography
Natural History
References
FYI

Common Name:White Milkweed
Family:Asclepiadaceae
Order:Gentianales
Subclass:Asteridae
Class:Magnoliopsida
Division:Magnoliophyta

I. Identification:

Holotype:(information not found)
Paratype:Southern Illinois University Herbarium
Authority:Carl von Linnaeus (1707-1778)

As described in:
The Audubon Society Feild Guide to North American Flowers
Southern wildflowers and Trees

The common name "milkweed refers to a milky juice the plant excretes if the stem or leaves become cut or broken.
Stem
Usually a single stem ranging from 1-3 feet high.
Leaves
Its leaves are opposite, oval shaped,and approximately 3-6 inches long. They are thick with the tops dark and smooth, and the bottom pale and hairy.
Flowers
The flowers are white 1/4"-1/2", with purple centers and are crowded in globular clusters. 5 back petals support a crown with 5 incurved horns.
Fruit
One or two large wart like pods with a seam that opens when the pod has ripened. The pods are filled with several hundred seeds with silky fibers that act as parachutes to carry the seed in the wind.


II. Geography:


Asclepias variegata
Area Status References
North America:
Continental United States; Canada
Marginal
Niering & Olmstead, 1979
Eastern North America:
U.S. east of Mississippi; Ontario and eastern Canada
Yes until Canada
Niering & Olmstead, 1979
Southeastern United States:
AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV
Widespread
Lounsberry, 1901
Southern Appalachian States:
AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV
Yes
Lounsberry, 1901
Coastal Plain
Widespread
Porcher, 1995
Lounsberry, 1901
Piedmont
Yes
Grimm, 1993
Lounsberry,1901
Blue Ridge Mountains
Marginal
Grimm, 1993
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Marginal
Grimm, 1993
Ridge and Valley
Yes
Jones and Coile, 1988
Cumberland Plateau
Yes
Jones and Coile, 1988
Georgia
Yes
Porcher, 1995
Jones & Coile
Clarke County, Georgia
Yes
Botanical Gardens of Georgia

as described in:Illustrated book of Wildflowers and Shrubs
Asclepias variegata inhabits the eastern side of North America. It ranges from Florida west to Texas and north to Illinois and Conneticut. Asclepias variegata can be found in open woods and thickets usually in sandy or rocky soil.


III. Natural History:

A perennial whose flowers bloom May to July, are white and largestalk with a bunch of little flowers. Their unusual structure regulates pollination. Sacs of pollen snag on insect's legs,pulled from the stamen, and are placed in slits behind the crown. Polen grains must be inserted in proper direction otherwise they are wasted. In the fall the flowers develop into seed pods which ripen and burst releasing the seeds in the wind.
The toxicity of the plant is low to medium and may harm grazing animals. It leads to vomiting tremors and resperatory difficulty.
(vet.purdue.edu)The Monarch butterfly feeds soley on milkweed. They are not affected by the toxins rather it makes them undesirable to birds and other prey.Monarch watch

IV. Extra Information:

  • The scientiffic name, Asclepias, was taken from the Greek god of medicine because the milkweed root was used by native americans as a drug.
  • During WWII milkweed fluff was used in life jackets and the milk sap was tested as a possible substitute for rubber.
  • Milkweed sap was used by early pioneers as a cure for warts.

V. References:

  • William Niering and Nancy Olmstead.1979.The Audubon Society Feild guide to North American Wildflowers.Alfred A. Knopf,Inc.
  • Petrson & McKenny.1968.A Field Guide to Wildflowers.Houghton Mifflin Company Boston.
  • Alice Lounsberry.1901.Southern Wildflowers and Trees.Fredrick A. Stokes Co.
  • William Carey Grimm.1993.Illustrated Book of Wildflowers and Shrubs.
  • Richard Porcher.1995.Wildflowers of the Carolina Low Country.University of South Carolina.
  • Monarch Watch. www.monarchwatch.org
  • Indiana toxic plants. http://vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/cover1.htm
  • Samuel Jones, Nancy Craft Coile.Distribution of Vascular Flora in Georgia.Dept. of Botany. UGA