Asclepias subulata

Common Name: Desert Milkweed, Rush Milkweed
Oˊodham Name: [unknown]
Group: Succulents － Desert

Description

Asclepias subulata appears as a 3 foot tall spray of leafless green stems. It grows in or near washes and other places with higher soil moiture, at 1000 to 3000 ft. During the Monsoon, the stems produce a terminal cluster of bell-shaped, succulent white flowers that are a favorite feeding place for several species of insect including the Tarantula hawk wasp. The photo shows a milkweed Bug which is immune to the toxic nectar produced by the flowers.

Classification

Kingdom Plantae － Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta － Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta － Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta － Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida － Dicotyledons

Subclass Asteridae

Order Gentianales

Family Asclepiadaceae － Milkweed family

Genus Asclepias L. － milkweed

Species Asclepias subulata Decne. － rush milkweed

More Information

USDA Plant Profile and Map