Asclepias rubra

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Apocynaceae

Trees , shrubs , or vines , rarely subshrubs or herbs, with latex or rarely watery juice. Leaves simple , opposite, rarely whorled or alternate, pinnately veined; stipules absent or rarely present. Inflorescences cymose , terminal or axillary , with bracteoles. Flowers bisexual , 5- [or 4]-merous, actinomorphic . Calyx 5- or rarely 4-partite, quincuncial, basal glands usually present. Corolla 5- or rarely 4-lobed, salverform , funnelform , urceolate , or rarely rotate, lobes overlapping to right or left, rarely valvate . Stamens 5 or rarely 4; filaments short; anthers mostly sagittate , free or connivent into a cone adherent to pistil head , dehiscing longitudinally, base rounded , cordate, sagittate, or prolonged into an empty spur; pollen granular ; disc ringlike or cup-shaped, 2-5-lobed, or absent. Ovaries superior, rarely half-inferior, connate or distinct , 1- or 2-locular; ovules (1 or) 2-numerous per locule. Style 1; pistil head capitate, conical , or lampshade-shaped, base stigmatic, apex 2-cleft and not stigmatic . Fruit a berry, drupe, capsule, or follicle. Seeds with or without coma; endosperm thick and often horny , scanty, sometimes absent; embryo straight or nearly so, cotyledons often large, radicle terete .

About 155 genera and 2000 species distributed primarily in the tropics and subtropics, poorly represented in the temperate regions . Of the 44 genera and 145 species present in China, one genus and 38 species are endemic, and nearly 95% of the taxa grow in the southern and southwestern portions of the country.

Fruit type is highly diversified in the family , and it is diagnostic of many genera. Genera 1-4 produce 1, 2-celled berries from a flower; genus 5 produces 2, 1-celled berries from a flower; 6 and 7 produce mostly fleshy follicles containing deeply indented seeds with ruminate endosperm; 8 has follicles and winged seeds; 9 produces follicles and seeds with 2 comas; 10-12 have follicles with globose seeds; 13-18 have drupes mostly with fleshy mesocarp; 19 has samaroid fruit; 20 has spiny capsules with seeds winged all around; and 21-44 have free or fused follicles and comose seeds. Double flowers are known only from cultivated forms of Nerium oleander, Tabernaemontana divaricata, and Wrightia religiosa.

Plants of the Apocynaceae are often poisonous and are rich in alkaloids or glycosides, especially in the seeds and latex. Some species are valuable sources of medicine, insecticides , fibers, and rubber.[1]

Genus Asclepias

Herbs, base frequently woody. Leaves opposite or whorled , short petiolate . Cymes terminal and extra-axillary , erect , umbel-like, many flowered. Calyx glands 5-10. Corolla rotate, deeply parted ; lobes reflexed , valvate or rarely overlapping to right . Corona lobes 5, inserted on gynostegium, erect, apex hooded , with an incurved , ligular-hornlike adaxial appendage . Stamens inserted at base of corolla tube ; filaments connate into a tube; anther appendages incurved; pollinia 2 per pollinarium , pendulous. Stigma head conical . Follicles fusiform , apex acuminate. Seeds flat, with a long coma.

About 120 species: America, some naturalized in Old World; one species in China.[2]

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 678 meters (0 to 2,224 feet).[3]

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 4.5 • Maximum pH: 5.0

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Asclepias laurifolia Michx.

Notes

Publishing author : L. Publication : Sp. Pl. 1: 217 1753 [1 May 1753]

Similar Species

Members of the genus Asclepias

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 110 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. albicans (Wax Milkweed) · A. amplexicaulis (Blunt-Leaf Milkweed) · A. angustifolia (Arizona Milkweed) · A. arenaria (Sand Milkweed) · A. asperula (Antelope Horns) · A. asperula capricornu (Antelope Horns) · A. asperula subsp. capricornu (Antelope Horns) · A. brevipes (Asclepias) · A. californica (California Milkweed) · A. californica greenei (Bract Milkweed) · A. californica var. callifolia (California Milkweed) · A. californica subsp. greenei (Greene's Milkweed) · A. cancellata (Asclepias) · A. cinerea (Carolina Milkweed) · A. connivens (Large-Flower Milkweed) · A. cordifolia (Heart-Leaf Milkweed) · A. cryptoceras (Davis Milkweed) · A. cryptoceras cryptoceras (Humboldt County Milkweed) · A. cryptoceras davisii (Humboldt Milkweed) · A. cryptoceras subsp. davisii (Davis' Milkweed) · A. curassavica (Bloodflower) · A. curassavica 'Silky Deep Red' (Bloodflower) · A. curassavica 'Silky Formula Mix' (Bloodflower) · A. curassavica 'Silky Gold' (Bloodflower) · A. curassavica 'Silky Scarlet' (Bloodflower) · A. curtissii (Curtiss Milkweed) · A. cutleri (Cutler Milkweed) · A. davisii davisii (Davis' Milkweed) · A. emoryi (Emory's Milkweed) · A. engelmanniana (Engelmann's Milkweed) · A. eriocarpa (Indian Milkweed) · A. erosa (Desert Milkweed) · A. exaltata (Poke Milkweed) · A. fascicularis (Mexican Whorled Milkweed) · A. feayi (Florida Milkweed) · A. fruticosa (Swan Plant Milkweed) · A. glaucescens (Nodding Milkweed) · A. hallii (Hall Milkweed) · A. hirtella (Green Milkweed) · A. humistrata (Pine-Woods Milkweed) · A. hypoleuca (Mahogany Milkweed) · A. incarnata (Butterfly Weed) · A. incarnata incarnata (Purple Milkweed) · A. incarnata pulchra (Rose Milkweed) · A. incarnata 'Cinderella' (Swamp Milkweed) · A. incarnata 'Ice Ballet' (Swamp Milkweed) · A. incarnata subsp. pulchra (Swamp Milkweed) · A. incarnata 'Soulmate' (Swamp Milkweed) · A. involucrata (Dwarf Milkweed) · A. labriformis (Jones Milkweed) · A. lanceolata (Fewflower Milkweed) · A. lanuginosa (Side-Cluster Milkweed) · A. latifolia (Broad-Leaf Milkweed) · A. lemmonii (Bigleaf Milkweed) · A. linaria (Mexican Milkweed) · A. linearis (Slim Milkweed) · A. longifolia (Long-Leaf Milkweed) · A. macrotis (Long-Hood Milkweed) · A. meadii (Mead's Milkweed) · A. michauxii (Michaux Milkweed) · A. nivea (Caribbean Milkweed) · A. nivea var. curassavica (Butterfly Flower) · A. nummularia (Tufted Milkweed) · A. nyctaginifolia (Mojave Milkweed) · A. obovata (Obovate Milkweed) · A. oenotheroides (Zizotes Milkweed) · A. ovalifolia (Dwarf Milkweed) · A. pedicellata (Savannah Milkweed) · A. perennis (Aquatic Milkweed) · A. physocarpa (Balloon Plant) · A. prostrata (Prostrate Milkweed) · A. pumila (Low Milkweed) · A. purpurascens (Purple Milkweed) · A. quadrifolia (Fourleaf Milkweed) · A. quinquedentata (Slim-Pod Milkweed) · A. racemosa (Talayote) · A. rubra (Red Milkweed) · A. rusbyi (Rusby's Milkweed) · A. scaposa (Bear Mountain Milkweed) · A. solanoana (Serpentine Milkweed) · A. speciosa (Greek Milkweed) · A. sperryi (Sperry's Milkweed) · A. stenophylla (Narrow-Leaved Milkweed) · A. subulata (Desert Milkweed) · A. subverticillata (Bedstraw Milkweed) · A. sullivantii (Prairie Milkweed) · A. syriaca (Broadleaf Milkweed) · A. texana (Texas Milkweed) · A. tomentosa (Tuba Milkweed) · A. tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed) · A. tuberosa interior (Butterfly Milkweed) · A. tuberosa rolfsii (Butterfly Milkweed) · A. tuberosa tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed) · A. tuberosa var. clay (Butterfly Weed) · A. tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' (Hellow Yellow Butterfly Weed) · A. tuberosa subsp. interior (Butterfly Milkweed) · A. tuberosa subsp. rolfsii (Rolfs' Milkweed) · A. tuberosa subsp. tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed) · A. uncialis (Greene Milkweed) · A. uncialis uncialis (Wheel Milkweed)

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Further Reading

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• A general history of the dichlamydeous plants, comprising complete descriptions of the different orders; together with the characters of the genera and species, and an enumeration of the cultivated varieties. .. the scientific names accentuated, t By George Don. London, J.G. and F. Rivington [etc.]1831-38. url p. 81.
• A general system of gardening and botany. Founded upon Miller's Gardener's dictionary, and arranged according to the natural system. By George Don. London, Printed for C. J. G. and F. Rivington, 1831-38. url p. 81.
• A guide to the wild flowers east of the Mississippi and north of Virginia / by Norman Taylor. New York: Greenberg, 1928. url p. 228.
• A provisional host-index of the fungi of the United States, by W. G. Farlow and A. B. Seymour. Cambridge, 1888-91. url p. 79.
• American flower-garden directory: containing practical directions for the culture of plants in the flower-garden, hot-house, green-house, rooms, or parlour windows. .. / by Robert Buist. New York: Orange Judd, 1854. url p. 39.
• An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions: from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102nd meridian / by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Hon. Addison Brown. New York: Scribner, 1913. url p. 24, p. 26.
• An illustrated guide to the flowering plants of the middle Atlantic and New England states (excepting the grasses and sedges) the descriptive text written in familiar language, by George T. Stevens. .. with more than 1800 illustrations from drawings by the author. New York, Dodd, Mead and company, 1910. url p. 495.
• Annual report of the New Jersey State Museum. Trenton, N.J.: MacCrellish & Quigley, url p. 44, p. 46, p. 47, p. 52, p. 648, p. 650, p. 78.
• Aquatic and wetland plants of southwestern United States, by Donovan S. Correll and Helen B. Correll. [Washington]Environmental Protection Agency; [For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off.]1972. url p. 1342, p. 1343.
• Bartonia;proceedings of the Philadelphia botanical club. .. 42 - 46 1973 - 19 Philadelphia, Philadelphia Botanical Club, Academy of Natural Sciences. url p. 25, p. 44, p. 46, p. 7, p. 83, p. 84.
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• Bulletin of the Philosophical Society of Washington. 25 1883 Washington, D.C.: Published by the co-operation of the Smithsonian Institution, [1874- url p. 78, p. 79.
• Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 30 1903 New York: Torrey Botanical Club, 1870-1996 url p. 339.
• Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1892- url , .
• Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 21 1919 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 232, p. 233.
• FWS/0BS. [Washington]Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. url p. 41.
• Field, forest, and garden botany; a simple introduction to the common plants of the United States east of the 100th meridian, both wild and cultivated, by Asa Gray. .. Cincinnati [etc.]American Book Company[1895] url p. 287.
• Flora of Delaware and the Eastern Shore: an annotated list of the ferns and flowering plants of the peninsula of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. [Wilmington]: Society of Natural History of Delaware, 1946. url p. 210.
• Flora of Lancaster County: being descriptions of the seed-plants growing naturally in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania / by John Kunkel Small and Joel Jackson Carter. New York: The authors, 1913. url p. 229.
• Flora of Pennsylvania, Boston, Ginn & Company, 1903. url .
• Flora of Pennsylvania. Edited with the addition of analytical keys by John Kunkel Small. Boston, Ginn & Co., 1903. url p. 250, p. 251.
• Flora of West Virginia, by Charles Frederick Millspaugh and Lawrence William Nuttall. 1 1896 Chicago, 1896. url p. 223.
• Flora of West Virginia. Charleston, W. Va., M.W. Donnally, 1892. url p. 407.
• Flora of the District of Columbia and vicinity. By A.S. Hitchcock and Paul C. Standley, with the assistance of the botanists of Washington. WashingtonGovt. print. off.1919 url p. 233.
• Flora of the southeastern United States; being descriptions of the seed-plants, ferns and fern-allies growing naturally in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and in Oklahom by John Kunkel Small. New York, The author, 1913. url p. 945, p. 945.
• Flora of the vicinity of New York; a contribution to plant geography. [New York]1915 url p. 29.
• Garden and forest; a journal of horticulture, landscape art and forestry. New York: The Garden and forest publishing co., 1888-97. url p. 314.
• Garden flowers: how to cultivate them. A treatise on the culture of hardy ornamental trees, shrubs, annuals, herbaceous and bedding plants. By Edward Sprague Rand, jr. Boston: J. E. Tilton and Company, 1866. url p. 51.
• Garden flowers; how to cultivate them. A treatise on the culture of hardy ornamental trees, shrubs, annuals, herbaceous and bedding plants. By Edward Sprague Rand, jr.. .. Boston, J. E. Tilton and company, 1866. url p. 51.
• Gray's school and field book of botany. Consisting of "Lessons in botany, " and "Field, forest, and garden botany, " bound in one volume. New York, American book company, 1901?, c1887 url p. 287.
• Handbook of flower pollination based upon Hermann Müller's work 'The fertilisation of flowers by insects'; tr. by J.R. Ainsworth Davis. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1906. url p. 255.
• Handbook of flower pollination: based upon Hermann Mu?ller's work 'The fertilisation of flowers by insects' / Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906-09. url .
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• Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. Chapel Hill, N.C. [etc.]Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society [etc.] url .
• Lawns and gardens. How to plant and beautify the home lot, the pleasure ground and garden, by N. Jönsson-Rose. With numerous plans and illustrations by the author. New York, G. P. Putnam, 1897. url p. 356.
• List of Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta growing without cultivation in northeastern North America. Prepared by a Committee of the Botanical Club, American Association for the Advancement of Science. New York, 1894. url p. 264.
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Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 16, 2007:

• USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2653432
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-30299
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13744954
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94615-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 454316
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 30299
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 94615-1
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDASC021M0
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: ASLA15
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 21182

Footnotes

1. Bingtao Li, Antony J. M. Leeuwenberg & David J. Middleton "Apocynaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 143. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Asclepias". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 203. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
3. Mean = 62.570 meters (205.282 feet), Standard Deviation = 85.810 based on 90 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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