The Rarest Milkweed in Texas

Finally we catch one of the US's rarest milkweeds - Asclepias prostrata - in flower. This bizarre and cryptic plant can go dormant for years, only appearing sporadically in a few scattered populations in the hot and sunny Tamaulipan Thornscrub of South Texas and Northern Mexican Scrublands when conditions are right, like after a rain. Growing on sands eroded from the Eocene Jackson Group sandstone, this plant can lay dormant for years waiting for amenable conditions. Twice in the last two years we've come out here to see that the entire population had been seemingly destroyed by the frivolous and unnecessary grading of the road. It always feels like the end of the line for this plant, but somehow those rhizomes survive and it always pops up again later on. Eventually they'll pave this road and this will mean the true end of the line for prostrata. Another population nearby was set to the border wall (fence) built right on top of it, but the border fence has project has been put on hold for now. *Flower damage probably due to caterpillars, not rabbits as stated in the video, as you can see the frass (shit). Notable about this species are the undulate margins (probably am adaptation to sun exposure), prostrate habit, cryptic nature, long dormancy, leaf and stem coat of tiny hairs, and red pigmentation on the margins of the leaves. The flowersa are extremely fragrant. If you're curious how milkweed flowers are pollinated or what the shit is going on with these flowers, look up "milkweed pollination" on YouTube. I did a video explaining it two years ago. Your contributions support this content. It sounds clichéd, but it's true. Whether it's travel expenses, vehicle repair, or medical costs for urushiol poisoning (or rockfalls, beestings, hand slices, toxic sap, etc), your financial support allows this content to continue so the beauty of Earth's flora can be made accessible to the rest of us in the degenerate public. At a time when so much is disappearing beneath the human footprint, CPBBD is willing to do whatever it takes to document these plant species and the ecological communities they are a part of before they're gone for good. Plants make people feel good. Plants quell homicidal (and suicidal!) thoughts. To support Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't, consider donating a few bucks to the venmo account "societyishell" or the PayPal account email [email protected]... Or consider becoming a patreon supporter @ :   / crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt   Buy some CPBBD merch (shirts, hats, hoodies n' what the shit) available for sale at : https://www.bonfire.com/store/crime-p... To purchase stickers, venmo twelve bucks to "societyishell" and leave your address in the comments. Plants ID questions or reading list suggestions can be sent to [email protected] Thanks, GFY.