Common name:
Mahogany milkweed
Family:
Scientific name:
Asclepias hypoleuca
Main flower color:
Range:
Small areas of south and east Arizona, and southwest New Mexico
Height:
Up to 4 feet
Habitat:
Hillsides, streambanks, oak and pine woodland, often rocky places; 6,200 to 9,200 feet
Leaves:
Opposite, ovate to oblong to lanceolate, up to 4.5 inches long and 2 inches wide
Season:
June to September
Asclepias hypoleuca usually produces one stem, occasionally two or three, rising taller than most other milkweed species, up to 4 feet. Stems have a covering of long, curved, unbranched hairs. The opposite leaves are varied in shape, generally broad, widest at or below the middle. Margins are entire, the surfaces usually hairless above, tomentose underneath, appearing greyish due to the hairs. Leaves are attached by short stalks. Leaf margins are ciliate.
The inflorescence is a series of dense, spherical clusters, each of between 12 and 35 flowers, on stalks of up to 4 inches. Pedicels for individual flowers are around 0.7 inches. The five narrow calyx lobes are greenish, mostly hidden by the five broad petals, which are red, strongly recurved, spreading at the tips, around 0.4 inches in length (twice as long as the calyx lobes). The five hoods are narrow, reddish-brown, lighter at the base, also spreading, and tapering to a point. There are no horns.
The inflorescence is a series of dense, spherical clusters, each of between 12 and 35 flowers, on stalks of up to 4 inches. Pedicels for individual flowers are around 0.7 inches. The five narrow calyx lobes are greenish, mostly hidden by the five broad petals, which are red, strongly recurved, spreading at the tips, around 0.4 inches in length (twice as long as the calyx lobes). The five hoods are narrow, reddish-brown, lighter at the base, also spreading, and tapering to a point. There are no horns.
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