Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Gentianales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asclepias humistrata
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
This is a plant which even the casual observer cannot walk past without noticing. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
A striking plant, with its prostrate stems, somewhat fleshy leaves borne in a vertical plain, and cream, pink, or red main leaf veins standing out against the blue-green color of the leaf blade, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
See diagrams of milkweed flower structure at Wayne's Word.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asclepias humistrata
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 157-01-011:
Asclepias humistrata FAMILY Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Asclepias humistrata
COMMON NAME:
Pinewoods Milkweed, Fleshy Milkweed, Sandhill Milkweed
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_1920844108273785
April FL
Apalachicola National Forest
Leaves blue-green with pink veins, smooth, thick, oval, sessile-clasping, to 4" long, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
)
John B. Nelson jbn_146559535_368ec7915a
May
)
Will Stuart wil_14247609931
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Leaf surfaces dull green decorated with conspicuous pink to lavender veins, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
)
Will Stuart wil_14247609931b
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
)
Will Stuart wil_14247609931c
May Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
The hoods are whitish, the petals ashy to pinkish-gray & strongly reflexed, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asclepias humistrata
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asclepias humistrata
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 157-01-011:
Asclepias humistrata
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Asclepias humistrata
2566
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhills and Florida scrub, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere)
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 sessile
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Rose
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
5-lobed corolla, lobes reflexed
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Flowers in 2-5(+) umbels, from upper leaf axils
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) p072
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p272
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p260
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p324
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p361
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p160
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p070
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p204
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p048
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p115
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".