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Asclepias asperula

Antelope horns
Asclepias-asperula.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Genus: Asclepias
Species: A. asperula
Binomial name
Asclepias asperula
Synonyms
  • Acerates asperula Decne.
  • Asclepias capricornu Woodson
  • Asclepias decumbens (Nutt.) K.Schum. nom. illeg.
  • Asclepiodora asperula (Decne.) E.Fourn.
  • Asclepiodora decumbens (Nutt.) A.Gray

Asclepias asperula is a species of milkweed native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its common names include antelope horns, green-flowered milkweed, and spider antelope horns.

It is a perennial plant growing to 0.6–2 m (1–2 feet) tall, with clustered greenish-yellow flowers with maroon highlights. It blooms from April through June, and favors moist, sandy or rocky soil.

Like several other species of milkweed, A. asperula is a food for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Along with being a source of nutrition for monarchs, the plants also contain toxic cardiac glycosides (Cardenolides) that the monarchs retain, making them unpalatable and poisonous to predators. For the same reason, A. asperula can be poisonous to livestock and other animals, including humans.



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