Asclepias variegata, commonly called the redring milkweed or white milkweed, is a plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found in Canada and the United States. It is most common in the Southeastern United States, and becomes rare in the northern edge of its range.
Description Asclepias variegata is a perennial herb, with stems reaching between 20 and 100 centimeters in height. Its leaves are most commonly opposite, arranged in 2 to 5 pairs and range in length from 5 to 14 centimeters.
It produces small white flowers with purplish centers that area crowded into round, terminal clusters.
Ecology
Habitat A. variegata is found most commonly in upland woodlands and mesic hammocks, but also occurs on bluffs, and in savannas, often in sandy soils.Weakley, A.S. 2020. Flora of the Southeastern United States. Edition of 20 October 2020. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This species prefers higher light levels.Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, H. Kurz, K. Craddock Burks, James R. Burkhalter, L G Plank, Gary R. Knight, Andre F. Clewell, R. Kral, Richard S. Mitchell, Lisa Keppner, Ed Keppner, D.C. Hunt, R. Komarek, Wilson Baker, and R. F. Doren. States and Counties: Florida: Leon, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Jackson, Gadsden, Liberty, Jefferson, Wakulla, Walton, and Bay. Georgia: Grady and Thomas.
It often occurs alongside species such as pine, hickory, oak, and sweetgum, among others.
Phenology This species flowers in early summer. Fruiting has been observed from late summer into fall.
Fire Ecology A. variegata possesses a deep taproot which allows it to regenerate post-fire. It has been found in pinelands and pine-oak-hickory stands that regularly receive prescribed burns.
Asclepias variegata is insect pollinated and is recorded to have been visited in northern Florida by the bee species Augochlorella aurata.Ulyshen, M. D., K. Robertson, S. Horn, and C. Dixon. 2024. Characterization of the bee community and pollinatrion network in a southeastern U.S. pine savanna. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 12:1403602.
Conservation status in the United States It is endangered in the states of New York, and Pennsylvania. It is listed as a special concern species and believed extirpated in Connecticut."Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 31 December 2017.(Note: This list is newer than the one used by plants.usda.gov and is more up-to-date.)
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