Français
Donate
Donner

Fact Sheets

FICHES DE
RENSEIGNEMENTS

Back To Index
print

Asclepias syriaca L.

Overview
General Information
ID Info
Similar Species
Need ID Help?
Aperçu
Renseignements Généraux
Informations D'identification
Espèces Semblables
Besoin d'aide pour l'identification?

Family :

Famille :

Apocynaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Common milkweed

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) follicles and seeds

Explore More :

Explore plus :

Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

  • Quarantine lists of countries e.g. Mexico *may be updated without notice

Regulation Notes:

On quarantine lists of countries e.g. Mexico*.

*Quarantine lists of countries may be updated without notice.

Distribution :

Répartition :

This species is native to North America (USDA-ARS 2017).  It is widespread across the eastern United States as well as in Montana and Oregon (USDA-NCRS 2017).

Habitat and Crop Association :

Habitat et Cultures Associées :

Common milkweed prefers roadsides, fencerows, railroads, river basins, waste areas, wooded areas, grasslands and marshlands. It has also been found in cereals, field crops and forage crops (Bhowmik and Bandeen 1976).

Economic Use, cultivation area, and Weed Association :

Utilisation économique, zone de culture et association de mauvaises herbes :

Duration of Life Cycle :

Durée du cycle vital:

Perennial

Dispersal Unit Type :

Type d’unité de dispersion :

Seed

General Information

RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

This species reproduces both by seeds and adventitious root buds (Bhowmik and Bandeen 1976). It contains several toxic substances affecting sheep, cattle and occasionally horses. Crops most affected by this species are soybeans, corn, peanuts, grain sorghum and maize (CABI 2017).

.

Asclepias syriaca plants (Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org)

Identification

Identification

<
>
<
>

  • Seed

    Size

    • Seed length: 6.4 – 9.0 mm (average: 7.8 mm); width: 4.4 – 6.1 mm (average: 5.2 mm)

    Shape

    • Teardrop-shaped seed, with a wing around the margin; flattened; the narrow end is truncate

    Surface Texture

    • Seed surface is smooth; the winged margin of the seed is bubbled and slightly wrinkled
    • There is a pale, central ridge on one side of the seed

    Colour

    • The seed is dull, reddish-brown, a lighter brown centre and a central dark, teardrop-shaped marking only on one side
    • There is often a thin, pale grey outline between the seed and the marginal wing

    Other Features

    • The hilum is small and at the narrow end of the seed
    • Immature or freshly shed seed may have a tuft of white hairs at the narrow end

    Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds

<
>

Identification Tips

CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

Additional Botany Information

AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

Asclepias syriaca inflorescence (Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org)

Similar Species

ESPÈCES SEMBLABLES

Similar species are based on a study of seed morphology of various species, and those with similar dispersal units are identified. The study is limited by physical specimen and literature availability at the time of examination, and possibly impacted by the subjectivity of the authors based on their knowledge and experience. Providing similar species information for seed identification is to make users aware of similarities that could possibly result in misidentification.

Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed)

Seeds of both showy milkweed and butterflyweed have a similar teardrop shape, reddish-brown colour and central dark markings as common milkweed. The seeds of these three species are similar and may require comparison with reference specimens.

Showy milkweed seeds are generally smaller (average length: 6.6 mm; average width: 4.0 mm), appear thicker, the wrinkled and bubbled surface texture of the wing is more pronounced, and they lack the grey outline of common milkweed.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed)

Butterflyweed seeds are generally smaller (average length: 5.8 mm; average width: 4.1 mm), the surface texture of the winged margin is smoother, the grey outline is lacking and the seed is more fragile than common milkweed.

Click to select species

Cliquez pour sélectionner les espèces

Comparison Window

Fenêtre de comparaison

Need ID Help?

Besoin d’aide pour l’identification?

ID Forum
Forum d'identification
ID Tool
Outil d'identification

Reference(s)

Référence(s)

Bhowmik P.C. and Bandeen J.D. 1976. The biology of Canadian weeds 19. Asclepias syriaca L. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 56: 579-589.

Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI). 2017. Invasive Species Compendium, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/journal/cabicompendium  Accessed April 25, 2017.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Secretariat. 2022. https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei Accessed via https://www.gbif.org/species/3170247 Accessed December 29, 2022.

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS). 2017. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysearch Accessed April 25, 2017.

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). 2017. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA. https://plants.usda.gov/home Accessed April 25, 2017.

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). 2022. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA. http://plants.usda.gov Accessed December 29, 2022.

Author(s)

AUTEUR(S)

Jennifer Neudorf, Angela Salzl, Ruojing Wang, Karen Castro, Katrina Entwistle

Canadian Food Inspection Agency