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A Comprehensive Guide to Slim-Pod Milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata)

Slim-Pod Milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata) is a herbaceous perennial that is native to the states of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States and extends south into Mexico. This plant is a host to the Queen (Danaus gilippus) and Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies. Growing from 6 to 12 inches tall, this species grows on rocky hills, oak woodlands, and fields. The greenish-purple tinged flowers bloom from June to August and the plant is hardy in zones 9-11.

Taxonomy and Naming of Slim-Pod Milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata)

Herbarium specimen of slim-pod milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata).
Herbarium Specimen — Asclepias quinquedentata A.Gray collected in United States of America by The New York Botanical Garden (licensed under CC BY 4.0)

Taxonomy

Slim-Pod Milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata) was originally named and described by Asa Gray, an American botanist in 1877. It has kept this same name since and is a member of the Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae).

Meaning of the Scientific and Common Names

Scientific Name

The genus name, Asclepias, is named for the Greek god of healing, Asklepios (Flora of Wisconsin). The species name, quinquedentata, is Latin for “five teeth”, in reference to the five teeth on the flower hoods.

Common Name and Alternative Names

The common name comes from the slimness of the follicle.

Physical Description

Herbarium specimen of slim-pod milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata).
Herbarium Specimen — Asclepias quinquedentata A.Gray by The New York Botanical Garden (licensed under CC BY 4.0)
  • Plant Type: This plant is a herbaceous perennial.
  • Height: 6 to 12 inches tall
  • Stem: The stems are slender to caespitose (Woodson 1954).
  • Leaves: The leaves are opposite, sessile to subsessile, linear to filiform and are 1.5 to 3.5 inches long and 0.04 to 0.08 inches wide. The leaves are slightly pubescent to pubescent (Woodson 1954).
  • Flower color: greenish-purple (Woodson 1954), with a reddish to brown tinge (Fishbein, et al 2008), or reddish (Van Devender, et al 2014)
  • Blooming period: This plant blooms from June to August.
  • Fruiting type and period: This plant has follicles that mature in the late summer and fall.

Range of Slim-Pod Milkweed in the United States and Canada

Range map of slim-pod milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata) in the United States and Canada.
Range Map Credit: Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2023.(website https://bonap.org/). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2023. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]

This milkweed species is native to the states of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. Its ranges extends south into Mexico.

Habitat

Dry rocky woodland habitat.
Dry Rocky Woodland — Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

This species grows in rocky hills (Woodson 1954), oak woodlands (Van Devender, et al 2014) and fields (Laferriere 1994).

Hosted Insects

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on goldenrod.
Monarch Butterfly on Goldenrod — ALAN SCHMIERER from southeast AZ, USA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Other Supported Wildlife

Bumblebee on pink flower.
Bumblebee on Flower — Weerlicht, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

This species is a nectar source to other butterflies, skippers, bees, and wasps during the growing season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this plant poisonous?

Like other milkweeds, it has cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) and is considered to be poisonous with ingestion.

Does this plant have any ethnobotanical uses?

The Native American Ethobotanical Database does not cite this species specifically, but milkweeds in general have been used for pharmaceuticals, fibers, and foods.

How is this plant distinguished from other milkweeds?

This species is most similar to the low milkweed (Asclepias pumila) and the whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata). However, both of the previous species have entire hoods on the flowers, whereas slim-pod milkweed has a toothed hood. Long-hood milkweed (Asclepias macrotis) has linear leaves, but has hoods that well exceed the anthers, whereas this species does not (Wooten and Standley 1915).

Is this plant invasive?

This plant has not been noted as being weedy and is restricted to the states of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.

Gardening with Slim-Pod Milkweed

Herbarium specimen of slim-pod milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata).
Herbarium Specimen of Slim-Pod Milkweed (Asclepias quinquedentata) — Harvard University, Public Domain

Hardiness

This species is hardy in zones 9-11. If your garden is within these zones and you have the right growing conditions (soil, moisture and exposure), you may well be able to grow this plant. However, if planted outside of its range, the hosted species may not recognize the plant or be harmed by ingesting a different species with an unfamiliar chemical composition.

Optimal Conditions

This species can grow in full sun to partial-shade in well-drained soil.

References

  • Fishbein, Mark, Veronica Jaurez-Jaimes, and Leonardo O. Alvarado-Cardenas. 2008. Resurrection of Asclepias schaffneri (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a Rare, Mexican Milkweed. Madrono 55: 69-75.
  • Laferriere, Joseph A. 1994. Vegetation and Flora of the Mountain Pima village of Nabogame, Chihuahua, Mexico. Phytologia 77: 102-140.
  • Van Devender, Thomas R., Guererro Reina, Lilia Ana, Aaron D. Flesch, Michael Jacobs. 2014. Additions to the Flora of Sonora, Mexico. Phytoneuron 2014-76: 1-8.
  • Woodson, Robert. 1954. The North American Species of Asclepias L. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 41: 1-211.
  • Wooten, E.O. and Paul Standley Carpenter. 1915. Flora of New Mexico. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium v. 19.

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