Milkweed (4)

Poison Milkweed
Asclepias subverticillata

Family: Dogbane (Apocynaceae)
AKA: Horsetail Milkweed, Western Whorled Milkweed
Photo taken on: June 12, 2009
Location: White Rock, NM
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Disturbed areas

Grows to 2½ feet. Flowers are ½" across with petals turned back and a hooded central column. Narrow leaves grow in widely spaced whorls around stem. The erect seed pods produced are up to 3" long and split open to allow the large brown seeds with silky plumes to escape.

POISONOUS

Photo below taken on: October 19, 2017
Location: Hwy 96, Abiquiu, NM

Plains Milkweed
Asclepias pumila

Family: Dogbane (Apocynaceae)
AKA: Low Milkweed
Photo taken on: July 20, 2009
Location: Wet Mountains, Eastern CO
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Open slopes and meadows

Grows to 8" with woody stems and whorled narrow leaves giving the plant a bottle-brush appearance. Flowers are tiny with lower petals bent back and upper petals erect The erect seed pods produced are 1½" long.

Dwarf Milkweed
Asclepias involucrata

Family: Dogbane (Apocynaceae)
AKA: Largeseed Milkweed
Photo taken on: May 14, 2019
Location: Espinosa Trail, Santa Fe NF, NM
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Sandy washes and canyons

Grows sprawling on the ground up to 10" long. Leaves are long and folded with woolly edges. Flowers are yellowish white and tiny. The fat, erect seed pods produced are 1½" to 2½" long.

Broadleaf Milkweed
Asclepias latifolia

Family: Dogbane (Apocynaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: September 30, 2019
Location: Wet Mountains, Eastern CO
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Grasslands, roadsides

Grows erect to 2½ feet high with stout, un-branched stems and thick, cabbage like leaves. Leaves are round in shape and dark green with strong veins. Flowers are creamy white or yellowish and grow hidden amongst the upper leaves. The fat, erect seed pods produced are about 3" long.

Flowers bloom from June to September.  Photo credit for image of flowers below.