Asclepias erosa – “Desert Milkweed”

Family: Dogbane (Apocynaceae)
Bloom Period: Apr-Oct
Form: Perennial herb
Habitat: Sandy washes and on dry slopes
Leaves: Elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate, curled along margins; opposite
Translation: “Asclepias” is the named for the Greek God of healing, Asklepios, because many plants in this genus are used medicinally; “erosa” is Latin for “bitten-off edges,” which refers to the jagged edges of the leaves, as if they were chewed.
Notes: This plant stands out. Its leaves, besides their unusual shape, are much larger than those of most desert plants and are sparsely spaced along a thick stem that they clasp tightly. The flowers are quite an odd show with their fused anthers, which form what are called “hooks and hoods.”
Native American Uses: The Coahuila and Tübatulabal collected the plant’s sap and used it as chewing gum after roasting it over a fire
Animal Associations: Nectar source and larval food plant for the Queen butterfly, who is able to safely ingest the plant’s toxic cardiac glycosides. This makes them bitter-tasting to predators who eat the larvae or the adults. So the plant provides the butterflies with a means of defense.