Asclepias speciosa Torr.
showy milkweed
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
(Previously in Asclepiadaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
showy milkweed
Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)
(Previously in Asclepiadaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems erect, 0.4-1.2 m tall, woolly, greyish or glabrous below; plants with milky juice.
Leaves:
Opposite, simple, 10-20 cm long, fleshy, oblong or oval, rounded or heart-shaped at the base, stalked.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an umbrella-like cluster; flowers pink to reddish-purple; sepals greenish-tinged with red.
Fruits:
Cylindric pods with soft tubercules, 7-11 cm long, many-seeded with tufts of white cottony hairs; seeds flattened, wrinkled.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Asclepias speciosa
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
425 | 296 | 600 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
4 | 0 | 34 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
219 | 200 | 240 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
9 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BG | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(9) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic roadsides, ditches, streamsides, meadows and grasslands in the steppe and montane zones; common in SC and SE BC; E to MB and S to MO, TX and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Asclepias giffordii Eastw.