ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Asclepias variegata
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    GENTIANALES
 FAMILY:   ASCLEPIADACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Asclepias variegata
 AUTHORITY:  L.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    VARIEGATED MILKWEED
    WHITE MILKWEED
 
 SYNONOMY:
     Biventraria variegata (L.) Small
 
 PLANTS CODE: ASVA
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     FOREST
       UPLAND FOREST
         DRY
         DRY-MESIC
     SAVANNA
       BARREN
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:
     Ozark
        Southern
     Shawnee Hills
        Greater Shawnee Hills
        Lesser Shawnee Hills
 
 COUNTIES:
   ALEXANDER       GALLATIN        HARDIN          JACKSON         JOHNSON
   MASSAC          POPE            PULASKI         RANDOLPH        ST. CLAIR
   SALINE          UNION           WABASH          WILLIAMSON
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-herb
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Primary
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:     Opposite
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Entire
    LEAF VENATION:  Pinnate
    LEAF SHAPE:     Oblong   Ovate     Obovate     Oval
    INFLORESCENCE:   Umbel
    FLOWER MEROUS:  5
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Complete   Regular
    FLOWER COLOR:   Violet   White
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   Follicle
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS:
     Leaves are occasionally falsely whorled.
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Native
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Occasional
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Perennial
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      5         MONTH END-      7
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C3
     SEX:      Perfect
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Occurs in dry or rocky woods and sandy open ground, ravine bottoms, wet
     depressions in lowland forest, upland slopes and ridges, and along
     roadsides (Steyermark, 1963).
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:
     GROWTH OF SPECIES IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS:  No data entered
 
     HABITAT:   Dry
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
     MAJOR DISPERSAL AGENTS:   WIND
     MAJOR POLLINATION AGENT:   INSECT
 
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     SHOWY FLOWERS:  YES      AMOUNT:  Medium
     LANDSCAPING:  NO
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:
     FOOD VALUE:  No data entered
     COVER VALUE:  No data entered
 
 LIVESTOCK PALATABILITY DATA:
     CATTLE FORAGE: No data    SHEEP FORAGE:  No data    HORSE FORAGE:  No data
     GOAT FORAGE:   No data    ENERGY VALUE:  No data    PROTEIN VALUE: No data
     POISONOUS (LIVESTOCK):   Suspect
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:    No data entered
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Mohlenbrock, R. H., and D. M. Ladd.  1978.  Distribution of Illinois vascular
     plants.  Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 282 pp.
Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed.  1975.  Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.  494 pp.
Jones, G. N.  1963.  Flora of Illinois.  Third ed.  American Midland Naturalist
     Monograph 7.  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.  401 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist.  1963.  Manual of vascular plants of north-
     eastern United States and adjacent Canada.  Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
     New York.  810 pp.
Fernald, M. L.  1950.  Gray's manual of botany.  8th ed.  American Book Co.,
     New York.  1632 pp.
Downton, W. J. S.  1975.  The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants.
     Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105.
Kingsbury, J. M.  1964.  Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.
     Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.  626 pp.
Smith, J. P.  1977.  Vascular plant families.  Mad River Press, Inc., Eureka,
     California.  320 pp.
 
 OTHER REFERENCES:
     Woodson, R. E., Jr.  1954.  The North American species of Asclepias L.
          Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 41: 1-211.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Asclepias variegata
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015