Asclepias speciosa
Asclepiadaceae
Showy Milkweed
Erect stem. Leaves opposite with short petioles or clasping, narrow to widely oblong, white with soft fine hairs. Large rounded umbel of rose-purple flowers tops stem. Flower with 5 corolla lobes reflexed back, 5 hood-like appendages folded inward, each containing a small, exserted horn with sharp tip. Seedpods point upward. Grows in fields, roadsides, railroad margins, near streams, from sea level to mid elevations.
- Rarity: Common
- Flowering Time: All Summer
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 18--50 inches
- Habitat: Coastal, Meadow, Shrub-Steppe, Disturbed, Moist Riverbanks
- Found In: Siskiyous, Steens, East Gorge, Great Basin
- Native: Yes
