Weed Information: Asclepias purpurascens (milkweed, purple)
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Asclepias purpurascens (milkweed, purple)

Family: Asclepiadaceae

Description

Very similar to Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) and distinguished primarily by the lack of prominent lobes on the margins of the hoods.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Red (or pink)
  • Purple
  • Red-purple
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Simple umbel
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
Petal Separation
  • United at base only (<25% length)
  • United from 25% - 75% length
Petal Tip
  • Pointed
  • Rounded
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.6 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.8 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
Number of Sepals
  • 5 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • Completely free to base
  • United at base < 25% length
Sepal Tip
  • Pointed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 1 style
Number of Stamens
  • 5 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Filaments united, monodelphous

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
  • Carpels separated
Number of Carpels
  • 2 carpels
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Follicle
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 1.0 dm (4.0 inches)
  • 1.5 dm (6.0 inches)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.80 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Opposite
Leaf Type
  • Simple (including lobed leaves)
Stipules
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole absent (leaf sessile)
  • Petiole < 25% total length
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.6 - 4.0 inches)
Leaf Shape (simple leaves only)
  • Elliptic
  • Lanceolate
  • Oblong
  • Ovate
Succulence
  • Succulent
  • Not succulent
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Entire
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Acute (cuneate)
  • Rounded
  • Truncate
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acute
  • Rounded (obtuse)
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Lower leaf surface more hairy
  • Sericeous or villous (silky)
  • Sparsely hairy
  • Villous or sericious (silky)

Milky Juice
  • Juice milky
Woodiness
  • Herbaceous
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines or Thorns ABSENT
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Perennial
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Erect, columnar (narrow)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 4 - 6 dm (1.3 - 2.0 feet)
  • 6 - 8 dm (2.0 - 2.6 feet)
  • 8 - 10 dm (2.6 - 3.3 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Fruit, seed, or spore wind borne
Moisture Regime
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem unbranched
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Rhizomatous

US State
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Iowa
  • Minnesota
  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota
  • Nebraska
Other
  • District of Columbia
Canadian Province or Territory
  • Ontario

  • Nebraska Weeds, 1979 Nebraska Dept. of Ag., Lincoln NE, See page: 141
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See species #: 94
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 x
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