Asclepias eriocarpa

Asclepias eriocarpa
Conservation status
	; Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Asclepias
Species:	A. eriocarpa
Binomial name
	Asclepias eriocarpa; Benth.
Synonyms
	Asclepias fremontii

Asclepias eriocarpa is a species of milkweed known by the common names woollypod milkweed, Indian milkweed, and kotolo. It is a perennial herb that grows in many types of habitats.

Description[edit]

Asclepias eriocarpa is an erect perennial herb which is usually coated in a thick layer of white hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval, rippled, and arranged oppositely in pairs or in whorls of 3 or 4. The inflorescence is a large umbel-like cluster of flowers. Each flower is white to cream and usually tinted with bright pink. It has a central array of rounded hoods and a corolla reflexed against the stalk. The fruit is a large, woolly follicle. Flowers bloom May to October.^[2]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Asclepias eriocarpa is native to California and adjacent parts of Nevada and Baja California. It grows in many habitat types such as rocky hillsides, woods, deserts, and especially dry areas.^[2]

Uses[edit]

The plant was used as a source of fiber and medicine by several California Indian groups, including the Ohlone and Luiseño.^[3] The Concow tribe calls the plant bō'-kō (Konkow language).^[4]

Ecology[edit]

Asclepias eriocarpa is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant. It is one of the most poisonous milkweeds. Natural History July/August 2015 calls it the most poisonous, but most sources put it below A. lancifolia (now known as Asclepias perennis).^{[dubious – discuss]}

References[edit]

^ "NatureServe Explorer - Asclepias eriocarpa". NatureServe Explorer Asclepias eriocarpa. NatureServe. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
^ Ethnobotany
^ Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 404. Retrieved 24 August 2012.

External links[edit]

[TNC_status_30_May_2022-1] "NatureServe Explorer - Asclepias eriocarpa". NatureServe Explorer Asclepias eriocarpa. NatureServe. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

[:0-2] "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.

[3] Ethnobotany

[4] Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 404. Retrieved 24 August 2012.

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