Clasping Milkweed

asclepias amplexicaulis

Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) is an enchanting, perennial wildflower native to the eastern and central regions of North America. Renowned for its unique structural elegance, this plant stands out among the milkweeds due to its distinctive leaves, which clasp the stout, solitary stem directly without any leaf stalks. It thrives in dry, nutrient-poor sandy soils where many other plants struggle, such as pine barrens, sand dunes, and open woodlands. Beyond its architectural beauty, Clasping Milkweed plays a crucial role in local ecosystems by offering high-quality nectar to a wide variety of native pollinators, including bumblebees and butterflies. It serves as a vital larval host plant for the iconic Monarch butterfly, which relies on the plant's chemical defenses to protect its offspring from predators. For nature enthusiasts, spotting this plant's delicate, spherical cluster of pinkish-purple flowers in a sandy clearing is a rewarding highlight of the late spring and early summer seasons.

生息地: Found in dry, open habitats with sandy or gravelly soils, such as pine barrens, oak savannas, old fields, and coastal sand dunes.

外見

This perennial herb typically grows 30 to 100 cm tall from a single, unbranched, glaucous stem. It is easily identified by its opposite, oblong-to-ovate leaves that are highly wavy along the margins, have prominent pinkish-red veins, and clasp the stem tightly at their bases. The leaves have a distinctly pale, bluish-green hue. In late spring, a single, globose cluster of 10 to 40 flowers blooms at the very top of the stem. The individual flowers have reflexed, greenish-purple petals and pale pinkish-to-rose crowns, giving the entire inflorescence a striking, dusty-rose coloration.

界Plantae門Tracheophyta綱Magnoliopsida目Gentianales科Apocynaceae属Asclepias

Clasping Milkweed

カテゴリ

植物

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

最初にスナップしよう！

おもしろい事実

The seeds are attached to silky white floss, which was gathered during World War II by children in North America to fill military life preservers.

The species name 'amplexicaulis' translates directly from Latin as 'clasping the stem,' highlighting the plant's most identifying feature.

Unlike most other native milkweeds that feature multiple flower clusters along the stem, Clasping Milkweed almost always produces just a single, terminal flower ball.

特殊能力

Produces toxic cardiac glycosides within its milky white sap, making it highly unpalatable and poisonous to most herbivorous insects and mammals.

Utilizes a deep, woody taproot system and a waxy, glaucous coating on its leaves to reduce water loss and survive in arid, sandy soils.

The stalkless, clasping leaves act as natural funnels that direct morning dew and rainwater straight down the stem to the root system.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 30-100 cm
体重: 0.1-0.4 kg
寿命: 5-15 年

食性と食事

As a photosynthetic plant, it manufactures its own organic compounds from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water while absorbing minerals through its root system.

主な食物

Sunlight
Carbon dioxide
Water
Soil nutrients

採餌方法

Photosynthesis

生態系とのつながり

host plant

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

The caterpillar of this butterfly feeds exclusively on milkweed leaves, sequestering toxins to become poisonous to predators.

eaten by

Red Milkweed Beetle

Tetraopes tetrophthalmus

Adult beetles feed on the foliage and buds, having adapted to tolerate and store the plant's toxic cardiac glycosides.

mutualism

American Bumblebee

Bombus pensylvanicus

These insects are major pollinators of the flowers, collecting nectar while accidentally picking up pollen sacs (pollinia).

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Clasping Milkweedを見分けるには？

Clasping Milkweedを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Clasping Milkweedの長さは何ですか？

30-100 cm

Clasping Milkweedの体重は何ですか？

0.1-0.4 kg

Clasping Milkweedの寿命は何ですか？

5-15 年

Clasping Milkweedは何を食べますか？

As a photosynthetic plant, it manufactures its own organic compounds from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water while absorbing minerals through its root system.

Clasping Milkweedは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found in dry, open habitats with sandy or gravelly soils, such as pine barrens, oak savannas, old fields, and coastal sand dunes.

Clasping Milkweedはどのように狩りをしますか？

Photosynthesis