Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed) - photos and description
Origin: Native.
General: Upright plants with leafy stems, stems and leaves puberulent. Plants exude a small amount of white sap when the leaves are torn.
Flowers: Greenish white flowers grow in terminal umbels. We measured flowers to 7 mm long and 4 mm diameter. Flowers are fragrant.
Leaves: Are arranged in whorls of 2 to 4 on the stem. Leaves linear measured to 4 cm long and 2 mm wide.
Height: Height is listed in Budd's Flora to 50 cm, we measured plants to 27 cm tall.
Habitat: Grassland, dry soil, often on hillsides.
Abundance: Extremely rare, ranked as an S1 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
When and where photographed: Photos taken July 15th in grassland near creek, within the city of Regina, SK (a guess is these have originated from nearby urban gardens), July 21st, on clay, stony soil, in southeast Saskatchewan, and August 5th on clay flats in the Buffalo Grass Eco Reserve, 200 km south east of our home in Regina, SK. Thanks to Cameron Abbott for helping us take some of these photos.