About Asclepias erosa Torr.
Asclepias erosa, commonly called desert milkweed, is a perennial herb. It has erect yellow-green stems, and foliage ranges in color from pale whitish-green to dark green, with white veins. Plants can range from completely hairless to very fuzzy. Sturdy, pointed leaves grow in opposite arrangements along the thick stem. A rounded umbel of yellowish or cream-colored flowers forms at the top of the stem. Each flower has thick, curved-back corollas beneath a flower center made of rounded, horned filaments. The plant contains a viscous sap; local Native American groups roasted this sap until it formed a solid, and used it as a type of chewing gum. In 1935, researchers based in Bard, California tested this plant to see if it could be a source of natural rubber.
