Vine growing on another shrub |
General: Utah Swallow-Wort (Cynanchum utahense), sometimes called Vine Milkweed, is a perennial vine that climbs on shrubs and low trees. The plant has long, narrow
leaves that dry and fall off during summer. The milkweed flowers produce long, narrow seed pods that split from the tip and often persist into the winter. Feathery tufts of silky hairs help the seeds disburse on the wind.
Utah Swallow-Wort is an uncommon component of desert and upland
vegetation communities. It can be found on flats, in
and along washes, and on bajadas into the lower mountains in the Lower
Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage
Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave
Desert Scrub) life zones.
Family: Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae)
Other Names: Funastrum utahense.
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Flower buds |
Plant Form: Vine, perennial forb
Height: Climbs on shrubs.
Stems: Vine
Leaves: Long and narrow, curled up on the edges, dropping in early summer.
Flowers: Yellow-orange, look like flower buds that never open into a "flower."
Seeds: Seedpods split from the tip. Seeds very small with a feathery tuft of silky hairs. |
Vine wrapping around stem of another shrub |
Habitat: Dry soils on flats, in and along washes, and on bajadas into the lower mountains.
Elevation: Below about 3,000 feet
Distribution: California to Utah and Arizona.
Comments: While generally uncommon, this species can be locally abundant. Grows well on White Bursage. |