Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Asclepias vestita is a species of milkweed known by the common name woolly milkweed. It is endemic to California, where it grows in many habitats across the state, from mountains to desert to valley. This is a robust perennial herb growing mostly upright or slightly bending. The thick leaves are oval to narrowly lance-shaped. The stem and leaves often have a coat of light-colored hairs, sometimes thick and woolly. The inflorescence is an umbel-shaped array to a spherical cluster of yellowish flowers. The flowers may be tinted with brown or purple. The fruit is a large yellowish follicle containing many silky-haired seeds.

Plant type

Perennial herb

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Color

Cream, Yellow

Water

Low, Very Low

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

1 confirmed and 3 likely

Confirmed Likely

Monarch

Danaus plexippus

Queen

Danaus gilippus

Clio Tiger Moth

Ectypia clio

Isabella Tiger Moth

Pyrrharctia isabella