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Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Perennial Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)

General: Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) is a tall, perennial forb with large, clasping leaves, milkweed flowers (see photos), and large seed pods.

Rush Milkweed is an uncommon component of desert and upland vegetation communities on flats, along washes, and on bajadas in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones.

Around Las Vegas, look for Rush Milkweed south of town along the Colorado River and southward into the Mojave National Preserve.

Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed flowerhead

Family: Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae)

Other Names:

Plant Form: Upright, perennial forb

Height: To about 3 feet.

Stems: Green, narrow, upright, hairless, few branches.

Leaves: Narrowly linear, opposite, ephemeral, sessile.

Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed empty seedpod with central rachis intact

Flowers: Blooms in spring. Can also bloom in the summer and late fall (last of October) as conditions permit. Inflorescence: terminal umbel. Flower: typical milkweed flower with yellow "petals" and reflexed, green sepals.

Seeds: Fruits hang down when ripe. Capsule contains seeds with long, white plumes of silky hairs that carry the seed on the wind. Seeds form on central rachis.

Habitat: Dry soils on flats, in and along washes, and on bajadas into the lower mountains.

Elevation: To about 2,500 feet

Distribution: California, Nevada, Arizona, and south into Mexico.

Comments:

Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed leafless stems
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed leafless stems
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed flower buds
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed open flowers and flower buds
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed open flowers and flower buds
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed open flowers
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed individual flower structure
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed individual flower structure
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed individual flower structure
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed individual flower structure
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Detail of flower base
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Detail of flower base
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Stems and seedpods
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Fresh seedpod (left) and old seedpod (right)
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Failed flowers and one seedpod during a mega-drought
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Seedpod
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Open seedpod
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Open seedpod
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Open seedpod, interior
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Open seedpod, exterior
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Central rachis from inside seed pod with a few hairs still attached
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Central rachis from inside seed pod
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Rush Milkweed flowering stalk after seed pods fall
more to come
More to come ...
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Lady Beetle on milkweed
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Lady Beetle on milkweed
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
Ants on milkweed
Rush Milkweed (Asclepias subulata)
A rather large Rush Milkweed

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
copyright; Last updated 220813

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