''Asclepias erosa'' is a species of

milkweed ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...

known commonly as desert milkweed. It is native to southern California, Arizona, and northern Baja California, where it is most abundant in the desert regions.

Description

This milkweed, ''Asclepias erosa'', is a perennial herb with erect yellow-green stems and foliage in shades of pale whitish-green to dark green with white veining. It may be hairless to very fuzzy. The sturdy, pointed leaves grow opposite on the stout stem. Atop the stem is a rounded

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

of yellowish or cream-colored flowers. Each flower has thick, reflexed corollas beneath a flower center composed of rounded, horned filaments.

Uses

The plant is filled with a viscous sap that was roasted to a solid and enjoyed as a sort of

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its te ...

by local Native American groups. Researchers in

Bard, California Bard is an unincorporated community in Imperial County, California, United States, located along County Route S24. It lies at an elevation of 138 feet (42 m). Bard is home to the Imperial Date Gardens. Bard was created in 1910 after the easter ...

tested the plant as a potential source of

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

in 1935.

Butterflies

''Asclepias erosa'' is a specific

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It ...

food and

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

plant.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Asclepias erosa''Ethnobotany: ''Asclepias erosa''''Asclepias erosa'' Photo gallery
erosa Butterfly food plants Flora of California Flora of Arizona Flora of Baja California Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Rubber Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Apocynaceae-stub