Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Gentianales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asclepias amplexicaulis
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Clasping Milkweed at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
See diagrams of milkweed flower structure at Wayne's Word.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asclepias amplexicaulis
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 157-01-008:
Asclepias amplexicaulis FAMILY Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Asclepias amplexicaulis
COMMON NAME:
Wavyleaf Milkweed, Clasping Milkweed, Sand Milkweed, Blunt-leaved Milkweed
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_asam_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0405w_32
May Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
Leaves: a single cream-colored central vein against a dark green background, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
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JK Marlow jkm0405za_15
May Greenville County SC
Field
A smooth unbranched plant with a solitary terminal umbel, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
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JK Marlow jkm180518_2375
May Greenville County SC
Rose-purple flowers sometimes suffused w green. Slender horns exceed hoods, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
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JK Marlow jkm180518_2378
May Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm190518_8482
May Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm190520_8568
May Greenville County SC
Reflexed corolla lobes hide the sepals.
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_amplexicaulis
May
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_amplexicaulis_2
May
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_amplexicaulis_2b
May
Corolla lobes reflexed; corona horns 1.5x long as hoods, arching [inward], per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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Will Stuart wil_8911629267_3814315e90
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Broad, wavy-margined leaves with clasping bases identify this species, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
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JK Marlow jkm190608_9093
June Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm210605_1109
June Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
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JK Marlow jkm210605_1111
June Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
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JK Marlow jkm180706_3321
July Greenville County SC
Stems erect; folicles erect, smooth, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow jkm180712_3394
July Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm180720_3452
July Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm190712_9876
July Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow s050713_a
July Greenville County SC
Roadside
Leaves mucronate, crispate, auriculate-clasping, glaucous, sessile, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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Will Stuart wil_9473157930_d1fc5d3e8a
August Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Follicles 4-6" long; seeds w silky tufts of hair that aid in dspersal, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asclepias amplexicaulis
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asclepias amplexicaulis
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 157-01-008:
Asclepias amplexicaulis
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Asclepias amplexicaulis
1878
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhills, barrens, sandy prairies, other dry woodlands of various types, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in NC Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite
Leaves have sessile auriculate-clasping bases.
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Maroon/ Purplish
(sometimes suffused with green)
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
5-lobed corolla, lobes reflexed
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Flowers in a solitary terminal umbel
FRUIT:
Summer
Follicle
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p109
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p039
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p259
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p264
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p361
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p167
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p068
- Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: Northeastern US (Clemants & Gracie, 2006) p110
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p047
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p190
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p226
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p128
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p084
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