WorldFloraDB - Asclepias speciosa

Characteristics

Colonial by roots; stem stout, erect, to 1 m, hairy; lvs ovate to lance-ovate or ovate-oblong, 10–15 cm, broadly rounded or subcordate at base, hairy beneath; petioles3–6 mm; umbels usually few, 5–7 cm wide; peduncles stout, 3–7 cm; cor greenish-purple, its lobes 10–15 mm; hoods 10–15 mm, abruptly narrowed below the middle to a linear-oblong tip; horns short, inflexed; fr densely tomentose and beset with soft filiform processes; 2n=22. Moist prairies; Man. to Minn., Io., and Okla., w. to B.C. and Calif. July, Aug.

More

A shrub. It grows 60-90 cm high and spreads 60-90 cm wide. It is bushy and hairy. The leaves are large and oval. They are 8-16 cm long. The flowers are small and shaped like stars. They are pink or purple. They are in round clusters 8 cm across. The fruit is a large soft pod. It has many seeds.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

0.6 - 0.75

Mature height (meter)

0.75 - 0.8

Root system

tap-root

Rooting depth (meter)

0.5

Root diameter (meter)

0.4

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

-

Environment

Prairies, in sandy and loamy, usually moist soils. Naturalised in cultivated ground and dry grassland in various parts of Europe.

More

It is a temperate plant. It grows along roadsides and in moist grassland. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The young shoots are boiled and eaten like asparagus. The tender tops of older plants are steamed and eaten as a potherb. The gum has been used for chewing. The flower buds, fruit, roots and raw flowers are also used. Caution: It contains bitter alkaloids. Plants should be cooked.

Uses	dye fiber food fuel gum material medicinal oil poison potherb
Edible	flowers fruits gums leaves pods roots seeds shoots stems
Therapeutic use	Gastrointestinal Aid (root), Venereal Aid (root), Antirheumatic (External) (root), Analgesic (root), Cough Medicine (root), Misc. Disease Remedy (root), Tuberculosis Remedy (root), Antidiarrheal (root), Dermatological Aid (root), Dietary Aid (root), Poison (root), Tonic (root), Dermatological Aid (seed), Snake Bite Remedy (seed), Ceremonial Medicine (shoot), Emetic (shoot), Cough Medicine (tuber), Tuberculosis Remedy (tuber), Eye Medicine (unspecified), Unspecified (unspecified), Dermatological Aid (unspecified), Venereal Aid (unspecified), Ache(Stomach) (unspecified), Antiseptic (unspecified), Arthritis (unspecified), Breast (unspecified), Callus (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Corn (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Masticatory (unspecified), Poultice (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Tuberculosis (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Bite(Snake) (unspecified), Measles (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Ringworm (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.

Mode	cuttings divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days)	30 - 90
Germination temperacture (C°)	15 - 22
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	stratification
Minimum temperature (C°)	-45
Optimum temperature (C°)	12 - 24
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-