Plant: perennial herb; stems erect or ascending, typically unbranched, 30-50 cm tall

Leaves: irregularly alternate to approximate, the petioles 5-11 mm long, the blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 6-13 cm long, 2-4.5 cm broad, attenuate to a broadly acute to rounded-apiculate apex, rounded or obtuse at the base, pubescent to glabrate on both surfaces

INFLORESCENCE: UMBELS lateral and terminal, typically clustered at the uppermost nodes, sometimes compound, 4-6 cm broad, the peduncles 1-6 cm long

Flowers: rather large; calyx lobes 3-4 mm long; corolla purple to pink, the lobes ca. 6-7 mm long; hoods yellowish white, ascending, obovoid-ellipsoid, more or less abruptly narrowed above the middle, obtuse-rounded at the top, 5.5-6.5 mm long, 1.6-2.1 mm broad, ca. 3 mm longer than the gynostegium, the horns attached near the base of the hoods, radially flat, sickle-shaped, exserted 1-2 mm and arching over the stigma head; anther wings 1.5-1.8 mm long; corpusculum 0.3-0.4 mm long, the pollinia 1.3-1.4 mm long

Fruit: FOLLICLES erect on deflexed pedicels, 8-12 cm long.

Misc: 1850-2450 m (6000-8000 ft); Jun-Aug

REFERENCES: Sundell, Eric. 1994. Asclepiadaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 27, 169-187.

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Upright rhizomatous plants, 30-60 cm tall, with reddish stems bearing few to several umbels at upper nodes.

Leaves: The alternate leaves are about 3 to 6 inches long and lance shaped with a slightly rounded base and a long tapering tip; on a short petiole, the leaves can be less than a half-inch long. The leaves have a prominent mid-vein; with tight crinkly and matted hairs covering both stems and leaves.

Flowers: Dark pink-colored corollas with white coronas aging yellow

Fruits: Produces an erect pod that is 3 to 5 inches long and about 1 inch wide.

Ecology: Rocky slopes or roadsides in sagebrush steppe, pi-on pine-juniper woodlands, ponderosa pine forests, and mixed conifer forests, from 6,000 to 8,000 ft (1829-2438 m); flowers June to August.

Distribution: Found in Gila and Coconino counties, AZ, as well as Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Synonyms: Asclepias curvipes, Asclepias lonchophylla

Editor: AHazelton 2015