Asclepias amplexicaulis

Asclepias amplexicaulis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Asclepias
Species:
A. amplexicaulis
Binomial name
Asclepias amplexicaulis

Asclepias amplexicaulis, the blunt-leaved milkweed, clasping milkweed, or sand milkweed, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae).[1][2] It is endemic to the United States, where it is mostly found east of the Great Plains.[3] It grows in dry prairies, savannas, open woods, and fallow fields, usually in sandy soil.[2][4][5]

Description

It grows 1–3 ft (0.30–0.91 m) high and produces flowers in the summer.[4]

This plant was eaten as food historically. However, it contains a poison dangerous to humans and livestock, so caution must be used if ingesting this plant.[6]

References

  1. ^ NRCS. "Asclepias amplexicaulis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  2. ^ a b Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
  3. ^ "Asclepias amplexicaulis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Asclepias amplexicaulis". Connecticut Plants. Connecticut Botanical Society. 2015.
  5. ^ Haddock, Mike (2018). "Blunt-leaf milkweed". Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "Asclepias amplexicaulis". Illinois Prairie. MuseumLink Illinois, Illinois State Museum Society. 2000.