Asclepias erosa
Desert milkweed
(c) Dominic Gentilcore, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Apocynaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Asclepias erosa (Desert milkweed) is a native California subshrub in the Apocynaceae family, recognized by distinctive wavy/jagged leaf margins and converging horns.
Desert milkweed is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, southwestern California, White and Inyo Mountains, and desert regions on dry slopes and washes at elevations of 150 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from April to October, this plant produces pale cream or green-white flowers with distinctive elevated cream-colored hoods that extend above the corolla base. Growing with ascending to erect stems that range from very hairy to nearly smooth, it develops a robust habit typically 30 to 60 centimeters tall. Its opposite leaves have elliptic to lanceolate blades with wavy or slightly jagged margins, ranging from 5 to 15 centimeters long and varying from clasping to non-clasping at the stem base. The fruit develops erect on slightly reflexed pedicels, with seeds approximately 10 to 13 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; distinctive wavy/jagged leaf margins and converging horns
Habitat and range
Habitat: dry slopes, washes
Elevation: 150-1900 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, San Diego, Inyo, Tulare, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Imperial, Mono, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Outside California: to Utah, Arizona, Baja California
Bloom period
Asclepias erosa blooms Apr-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Gomphocarpus: Asclepias has hoods that touch or nearly touch at their edges; Gomphocarpus has gaps between hood edges.; vs Erigeron: Asclepias has rounded umbel clusters with large individual flowers; Erigeron has daisy-like flowers with many thin ray petals.; vs Lantana: Asclepias has reflexed petals with a raised hood crown; Lantana has flat-faced tubular flowers in dense rounded heads.; vs Apocynum: Asclepias has large showy flowers in dome-shaped clusters; Apocynum has tiny bell-shaped flowers in branched sprays.; vs Baccharis: Asclepias has milky sap and large distinctive flowers; Baccharis has clear sap and tiny fuzzy composite flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Asclepias erosa native to California?
Yes. Asclepias erosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Asclepias erosa bloom?
Asclepias erosa blooms Apr-Oct.
Where in California does Asclepias erosa grow?
Asclepias erosa occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, San Diego, Inyo, Tulare, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and other counties, at elevations of 150-1900 m.
What plant family does Asclepias erosa belong to?
Asclepias erosa is in the Apocynaceae family, genus Asclepias.
What habitat does Asclepias erosa grow in?
Asclepias erosa grows in dry slopes, washes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.