General: Utah Swallow-Wort (Cynanchum utahense) is a perennial vine that climbs on shrubs and low trees. The plant has long, narrow leaves that dry and fall off during summer. The milkweed flowers produce long, narrow seed pods that split from the tip and often persist into the winter. Feathery tufts of silky hairs help the seeds disburse on the wind.

Utah Swallow-Wort is an uncommon component of desert and upland vegetation communities. It can be found on flats, in and along washes, and on bajadas into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones.

Family: Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae)

Other Names:

Plant Form: Vine, perennial forb

Height: Climbs on shrubs.

Stems: Vine

Leaves: Long and narrow, curled up on the edges

Flowers: Yellow-orange

Seeds: Very small with a feathery tuft of silky hairs.

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

Elevation: Below about 3,000 feet

Distribution: California to Utah and Arizona.

Comments: While generally uncommon, this species can be locally abundant.