Spider antelopehorn
Also known as: antelope horns
Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Decumbent to ascending, few to many, 6 to 24 inches long, radiating from crown, simple to sparingly branched, glabrous or minutely pubescent.
- Leaves
- Mostly alternate, simple, short-stalked, firm, ascending to spreading, lanceolate, 1.5 to 8 inches long, .5 to 1.25 inch wide, nearly glabrous or sparsely pubescent; margins entire; tips pointed.
- Inflorescence
- Umbels, solitary, sessile or short-stalked, subtended by 1-3 leaves, 9-34-flowered, terminal.
- Flower
- 5-parted, 1/4 to 1/2 inch tall, on stout stalks 3/5 to 1 inch long; calyx lobes lanceolate to ovate, green to purple-tinged, minutely hairy; corolla lobes elliptic-lanceolate, pale yellowish green, glabrous, curved upward; hoods club-shaped, purplish; tips incurved, usually greenish cream; horns absent.
- Fruit
- Pods, spindle-shaped, 1.5 to 5 inches long, 1/2 to 1 inch wide, minutely hairy, erect on downward-curved stalks; seeds egg-shaped, tufted with light tan hairs at tips.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Dry rocky or sandy prairie uplands.
- Distribution
- Principally central 1/3 of Kansas.
Practical Information
- Uses
- The Navajo used this plant to treat bites from rabid animals.
Additional Notes
Comments
The fruits resemble the horns of antelope as they elongate and begin to curve. Spider antelopehorn will ooze a milky fluid when injured. Formerly treated as Asclepiadaceae - Milkweed Family.
Special Notes: Resembles Spider milkweed Asclepias viridis.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Apocynaceae - Dogbane Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 4-12 inches
- Last Updated
- 2007-09-14
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: April, May, June