Asclepias cryptoceras

Humboldt mountains milkweed, Humboldt Mountains Milkweed

Family: Apocynaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Humboldt mountains milkweed is a California native perennial found in the southern eastern Sierra Nevada region of Mono County in arid plains, canyon bottoms, and slopes with sand, gravel, clay, or shale at elevations of 1,400 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces green-yellow flowers with pink-tan hoods in terminal clusters. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems that are mostly hairless, it reaches a low-spreading form across the ground. Its opposite leaves have cordate or ovate blades that are approximately round, sometimes with a base that rarely clasps the stem. The fruit develops erect on upright pedicels, with seeds 6 to 8 millimeters long.

Habitat: Sand, gravel, clay, or shale of slopes, canyon bottoms, washes, arid plains

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 1400-2500 m

Bioregions: SNE (Mono Co.)

California counties: Mono, Inyo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.