Pallid Milkweed
(Asclepias cryptoceras)

Host Plant: Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus)

Nectar Plant: many insects including other butterflies, bees, and wasps.

Flower Color: yellowish-green to creamy white

Growth Habit: herbaceous perennial

Range in North America: Western United States

Exposure: Prefers full sun

Hardiness: Zones 4-7

Flowering Time: April to June

Soil Requirements: dry and/or rocky sandy soils

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Categories: Plants, Apocynaceae | Dogbane Family, Asclepias | Milkweeds

Description
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Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras)

Green and red flowers of pallid milkweed (Asclepias crytoceras) in a desert. — Flowers of Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras) — Mary Winter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alternative Names

Humboldt Mountain milkweed, jewel milkweed, Davis’ milkweed, prostrate milkweed, and hidden-horn milkweed

Description of Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras)

Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias erosa), a member of the Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family), is a herbaceous perennial that grows from 0.4′ to 1′ tall and blooms in the spring (April to June). The fruits, which are follicles, mature in the late summer to fall. The leaves opposite, sessile to short-petioled, simple, entire, cordate to ovate in shape, and are 1.5 to 3 inches in length and 1 to 2.5 inches in width. More information on this species can be found on this blog post.

Hosted Species

**Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and the Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus)**

Nectar Species

This is plant is a nectar plant for many other insects.

Native Range of Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras) in the United States and Canada

Range map of pallid milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras) in the United States and Canada. — Range Map Credit: Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2023.(website https://bonap.org/). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2023. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]

Habitat

Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras) is a herbaceous perennial that grows in sandy and rocky washes, canyon bottoms, roadsides, and talus slopes.

Interesting Facts

The genus name, Asclepias, is derived from the Greek god of healing who was named Asclepius (Wikipedia). The species name, cryptoceras, derives from the Greek word for hidden-horn.

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