Apocynaceae

Dogbane Family

Milkweeds

FAMILY: Dogbane family (Apocynaceae) – Asclepias genus. The milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae) was recently integrated with the dogbane family (Apocynaceae)

SPECIES: #1 spider milkweed or antelope horns (Asclepias asperula (Decne.) Woodson). #2 Indian, woollypod, or kotolo milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa Benth.). #3 desert or jagged milkweed (Asclepias erosa Torr.). #4 Mexican milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis Decne. = Asclepias mexicana auct. non Cav.). #5 showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa Torr. = Asclepias giffordii Eastw.). #6 horsetail, western, poison, or whorled milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata (A. Gray) Vail = Asclepias galioides auct. non Kunth). #7 orange or butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa L.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! MILKWEEDS MUST BE COOKED! Milkweeds are dangerous plants that should always be regarded with caution and should never be consumed raw. Milkweeds contain toxic compounds called cardenolides (or cardiac glycosides) that are capable of causing electrolyte imbalances in heart muscles leading to arrhythmias or even cardiac failure. According to Knight (pp. 65-67), milkweeds are most toxic during periods of rapid growth and remain toxic even after drying. Certain species are much more toxic than others, so foragers should only gather species known to be edible. Toxins are concentrated in the milky sap. Although boiling destroys these compounds, dehydration does not. Authorities on edible plants emphasize the need to thoroughly cook milkweeds. Although Native Americans made chewing gum by simply drying milkweed sap, gum made this way is very dangerous in amounts larger than a piece of gum. The sap needs to be boiled before it’s dried. Morgan (p. 131) states that the sap of showy milkweed (A. speciosa) is safe after cooking, and Campbell (p. 139) describes how Native Americans of southern California collected and processed the sap of desert milkweed (A. erosa) and Indian milkweed (A. eriocarpa) to make chewing gum. Milkweed sap is often portrayed as a deadly toxin that must be completely removed to render the various parts edible. This raises an obvious safety question when it’s the sap that’s being collected for the purpose of eating or chewing. Based on the extensive use of milkweed sap as gum by indigenous people of North America and other continents (Keoke and Porterfield p. 55), it’s reasonable to conclude that milkweed sap can be eaten after proper preparation and therefore doesn’t need to be removed. This statement is not intended to diminish the dangers of milkweeds and it certainly doesn’t mean that the sap of all milkweeds is edible. Ranchers are well aware of the dangers that milkweeds pose to grazing animals. Since grazing animals generally don’t enjoy the luxury of cooked food, they must contend with the dangers, and they do this by selecting other things to eat. This selective grazing leads to an abundance of milkweeds, which in turn provides foragers with a plentiful resource, but it’s a resource that must be used with caution.

Sap, shoots, leaves, flowers, and immature fruits of all species listed above, except for jagged milkweed (A. erosa), are edible after thorough processing. In addition, orange milkweed (A. tuberosa) has edible roots, but these roots barely qualify as palatable. 

Spider milkweed (A. asperula), based on the asperula subspecies (which is characterized by purple rather than green horns), is a common species of the Southwest and Great Basin. It has rough-haired leaves that serve well as potherbs. Boiling softens the hairs and yields an excellent broth. No change of cooking water is necessary. Boiled leaves taste mild, and boiled flowers taste even better thanks to an abundance of nectar. Sweetness increases as cooking water is reduced, ultimately producing low-grade syrup. Spider milkweed flowers are fragrant, and their ascending petals are distinctive. Most milkweeds have descending petals. Spider milkweed can bloom anytime from March to August, so the gathering season is generous. Leaves, flowers, and stalks are tender. Overall, spider milkweed is an excellent wild food.

Woollypod milkweed (A. eriocarpa) is found only in California. The Luiseño Indians (also called the Payómkawichum) of coastal regions in southern California called this plant “tokmut” and made chewing gum from the sap. References to the use of this species as food are scarce. Woollypod milkweed blooms from June to August.

Jagged milkweed (A. erosa) is found primarily in southern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona. Sap of this species was collected, dried, and chewed like gum by the Kawaiisu Indians and other people native to California. Other parts of this species are not reported to be edible. Leaves of any age taste good, but they have a bitter accent. Flowers and flower buds also taste good. Boiling doesn’t alter the flavor or soften the jagged leaf margins. Cutting the margins off with scissors is a wise precaution. The margins aren’t sharp enough to cut flesh, but they are rather annoying. Jagged milkweed leaves are large, leathery, easily chewable, and about the consistency of collard greens. This species is also called desert milkweed, undoubtedly referring to its choice of habitat. It blooms anytime from April to October, so the gathering season is generous. Overall, jagged milkweed seems to be a decent wild food.

Mexican milkweed (A. fascicularis) grows from California to Nevada, northward to Washington and Idaho, and southward to the Baja Peninsula. True Mexican milkweed (A. mexicana) only grows in central and southern Mexico. Leaves and flowers of Mexican milkweed (A. fascicularis) were cooked and consumed as vegetables by various Native Americans of California. Keep in mind that this species is lethal to livestock in quantities as little as 0.5% of an animal’s body weight, or about half a pound of fresh leaves for a 100 pound sheep. The following species, horsetail milkweed, is even more dangerous, so any foragers considering these wild “foods,” should use extreme caution and never consume the various parts raw. Mexican milkweed blooms primarily from June to August.

Horsetail milkweed (A. subverticillata), which is also called poison milkweed, ranks among the worst species sampled for this reference. Note that this plant, along with several other narrow-leaved species, is responsible for the loss of livestock. NEVER CONSUME THIS PLANT RAW! Even consuming it cooked is inadvisable. At least two changes of cooking water are necessary to render the thread-like leaves palatable. Even that may be insufficient because bitterness imparted by the milky latex is difficult to subdue. Horsetail milkweed is much more bitter than other species. The texture is easily chewable, except for some stringy fibers. At best, the leaves can serve as low-grade potherbs. Horsetail milkweed is a dominant species of Arizona and New Mexico, and adjacent regions of the surrounding states. It blooms primarily from May to September, so the gathering season is long should anyone decide to gather it. Overall, horsetail milkweed is best left alone.

Showy milkweed (A. speciosa) is a fantastic wild food, but cooking is necessary to inactivate the harmful compounds. These plants are not for salads. After boiling, the leaves, flowers, and flower buds taste pleasant. The flavor is free of harsh overtones and unique to milkweeds. Green beans may be the closest comparison, but the relationship is distant. The texture is easily chewable. Even the midveins in the leaves are chewable. Tough fibers are limited to the stems. Fuzzy hairs covering the various parts pose no problems. Showy milkweed flowers are loaded with nectar that can be refined into syrup. Milkweed syrup is made by: swishing the flowers in cold water to extract the nectar, removing the flowers from the water, and then reducing the volume of water through boiling. It’s not the sweetest syrup in the world, but it’s reasonably good. Showy milkweed is a dominant species of the western United States. Finding it and gathering a supply should not be difficult. It grows over a wide range of elevations and blooms from May to August. Overall, showy milkweed ranks as the best southwestern species.

Butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa) has orange flowers and tuberous roots. It also has clear sap rather than milky sap. These features set it apart from other milkweeds. It grows primarily in the eastern United States, but it’s also common in the Southwest. The following notes are based on the interior variety. No other varieties occur in the Southwest. Butterfly milkweed blooms from May to September in juniper and pine woodlands.

Roots of butterfly milkweed are off-white with thin brown skins. Most of the volume is flesh, with a soft texture similar to carrots. Fresh roots have an odd, fragrant, medicinal aroma with an element of sweetness. The flavor sharply contrasts the aroma. Butterfly milkweed roots taste awful. Boiling helps, but bitterness seems determined to persist, even after a change of water. Any traces of pleasant starch dissolve into the cooking water, along with the soapy, fragrant, and distasteful characteristics. These roots are a poor-quality wild food, and may be unsafe.

Leaves of butterfly milkweed taste reasonably good after preparation. Leaf surfaces are covered with rough hairs that remain intact after preparation. These hairs are annoying rather than irritating. They impart a raspy feeling, but they don’t present a hazard. The texture is otherwise pleasant. After boiling, orange milkweed leaves have a “vegetable-like” flavor that’s free of odd, acrid, bitter, soapy, and fragrant accents. Boiling yields a green broth that’s ideal for soup. These leaves are a decent wild food.

Flowers of butterfly milkweed taste fairly good, yet inferior to those of other species. No other milkweeds in the Southwest have orange flowers. The flavor is free of acrid, bitter, and soapy accents, but a fragrant accent may be present. The texture is easily chewable, except for raspy hairs on the stalks that remain irritating even after cooking. Changing the cooking water is unnecessary. These flowers can safely be added to soup without fear of ruining the batch, or they can be eaten alone. Brief boiling or steaming dulls the vibrant orange color. Overall, the leaves and flowers of orange milkweed are decent wild foods, but the roots are best left alone.

NOTES: Milkweeds are distinctive plants. New foragers shouldn’t have much trouble recognizing the genus, and seasoned foragers shouldn’t have too much trouble recognizing the preferable species. Of all the species mentioned above, showy milkweed is definitely the best. Some of the other species are very dangerous, and even though they’re well documented in ethnobotanical literature, I wouldn’t suggest eating anything other than showy milkweed (A. speciosa) or common milkweed (A. syriaca). Finding milkweeds shouldn’t be a problem. They grow almost everywhere, in part because grazing animals avoid them. Common milkweed is found in the eastern United States, and showy milkweed is found in the western United States. The milkweeds for this reference came from many places spanning the Southwest including Moss Back Butte in southeastern Utah, the Gila National Forest in western New Mexico, and the Mojave Desert in southern California.

IDENTIFICATION: The Asclepias genus is represented by about 75 species in the United States, of which about 30 are found in the Southwest and Great Basin. Recognizing the genus is easy thanks to the distinctive flowers, but identifying the multitudes of species is difficult. Milkweed flowers have styles and stamens that are fused into narrow columns bearing appendages (hoods and horns) called coronas. Atop the columns, stigmas and anthers are fused into broader heads. Plants with milky sap, bearing flowers of this nature, are most likely milkweeds.

Description of milkweeds (the Asclepias genus): FORM annual to perennial plants (occasionally woody toward the bases) with milky (or occasionally clear) sap; STEMS not twining; LEAVES simple; alternate, opposite, or whorled; blades of many shapes, commonly linear to ovate; margins entire or wavy; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, highly specialized, and arranged in cymes or umbels; sepals 5; petals 5, partially united, the lobes normally reflexed or spreading (occasionally ascending); pistils 2; stigmas united into disk-like structures; styles 5 and stamens 5, these parts united into columns (pedestals) crowned with 5 elaborate appendages (hoods and horns) called coronas; anthers united around the stigmas to form heads; FRUITS follicles initially paired, with one usually aborting; surfaces smooth or bumpy; seeds numerous, each with a tuft of silky hairs; HABITAT diverse; plants found throughout the Southwest and elsewhere; blooming from spring to autumn.

REFERENCES: #1 spider milkweed (Asclepias asperula): dried sap (as gum), shoots, leaves, flowers, and immature fruits Couplan (pp. 345-346). #2 woollypod milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa): dried sap (as gum), shoots, leaves, flowers, and immature fruits Couplan (pp. 345-346); sap (as gum) Sparkman (p. 230). #3 jagged milkweed (Asclepias erosa): dried sap (as gum) Campbell (p. 139) and Ebeling (p. 259). #4 Mexican milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis = A. mexicana): roots Yanovski (p. 52); dried sap (as gum) Ebeling (p. 259); shoots Couplan (pp. 345-346); leaves Couplan (pp. 345-346), Ebeling (p. 260), and Moerman (p. 57); flowers Couplan (pp. 345-346), Moerman (p. 57), and Yanovski (p. 52); immature fruits Couplan (pp. 345-346), Ebeling (p. 260), and Yanovski (p. 52). #5 showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa = A. giffordii): dried sap (as gum) Couplan (pp. 345-346); shoots Couplan (pp. 345-346) and Yanovski (p. 52); leaves Couplan (pp. 345-346), Ebeling (p. 259), and Yanovski (p. 52); flowers Couplan (pp. 345-346), Ebeling (p. 259), and Yanovski (p. 52); immature fruits Couplan (pp. 345-346). #6 horsetail milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata = Asclepias galioides): dried sap (as gum), shoots, leaves, flowers, and immature fruits Couplan (pp. 345-346). #7 butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa): roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, and immature fruits Couplan (pp. 345-346).

Milkvines

FAMILY: Dogbane family (Apocynaceae) – Funastrum genus. The milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae) was recently integrated with the dogbane family (Apocynaceae).

SPECIES: #1 wavyleaf milkvine (Funastrum crispum (Benth.) Schltr. = Sarcostemma crispum Benth.). #2 climbing or fringed milkvine (Funastrum cynanchoides (Decne.) Schltr. = Sarcostemma cynanchoides Decne.). #3 hairy milkvine (Funastrum hirtellum (A. Gray) Schltr. = Sarcostemma hirtellum (A. Gray) R. Holm).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! All parts of milkvines (also called milk-stars, rope-stars, and twine-vines) contain caustic latex and should only be eaten in strict moderation after thorough cooking. The immature fruits of F. cynanchoides, flowers of F. crispum, and leaves of F. hirtellum are edible after cooking. These parts must be cooked. Milkvines emit a foul stench that smothers a pleasant fragrance. It’s an odd aroma that’s certain to twist the nose into an awkward position. Any pleasantness originates from the flowers.

Immature seedpods of fringed milkvine (F. cynanchoides) are edible after cooking. They must be collected when very young. Only the youngest pods are suitable as vegetables. Older pods soon develop impossibly tough strings. Once strings develop, no amount of cooking will soften the texture, but the pods can always be chewed like gum. Members of the dogbane family are known for having tough fibers. Young milkvine pods are green and hollow, except for the seeds inside that develop almost immediately. They make delicious vegetables. The flavor is mild and similar to green beans. No acrid, bitter, or foul accents degrade the flavor. Discarding the cooking water may be wise, but it doesn’t taste bad. Harvesting milkvine pods is a sticky job. Milky latex permeates all parts of these vines. As the latex dries, it becomes sticky. It could even serve as low-grade glue. Fringed milkvine pods taste better than they smell. Pods of a related species called hairy milkvine (F. hirtellum) are essentially the same in terms of taste, texture, and aroma, but they’re not reported to be edible. Fringed milkvine carelessly climbs over desert shrubs and effectively blends into the landscape. It’s easy to miss, except when flowers are present. Flowers can bloom anytime from spring to autumn depending on rainfall patterns, but they tend to bloom in summer. Young seedpods develop soon afterward, generally in late summer or early autumn, but this gathering season is subject to great variation. Fringed milkvine grows from Texas to California. Overall, young seedpods of fringed milkvine are a mediocre wild food.

Leaves of hairy milkvine (F. hirtellum) are small and tedious to gather. Hairs on the surfaces are raspy and remain that way even after cooking. The flavor is more appealing than the texture. Hairy milkvine leaves taste reasonably good. They’re suitable as a cooked vegetable. The attractive flowers also taste good, but they’re not reported to be edible. Hairy milkvine blooms from February to May, and is found primarily in the Colorado and Mojave deserts. It’s not one of the better wild foods in those regions, but it is common. Like all milkvines and milkweeds, it should always be cooked.

Flowers of wavyleaf milkvine (F. crispum) were not sampled for this reference, but those of all other species listed above and Hartwig’s milkvine (Funastrum hartwegii (Vail) Schltr.) were sampled. Based on the similarity of the species sampled, it’s likely that flowers of wavyleaf milkvine also taste similar. The sampled flowers had an odd aroma that combined a perfume-like fragrance with latex paint and something terribly musty. It wasn’t the kind of aroma suggesting any food value was present. Boiling the flowers effectively subdued the odd characteristics, but some bitterness persisted. Based on the species sampled, milkvine flowers seem to be a fairly good resource, but only those of wavyleaf milkvine and fringed milkvine are currently reported to be edible. Wavyleaf milkvine grows from Arizona to Texas and blooms anytime from April to August.

NOTES: Milkvines thrive in the desert, but they’re easy to overlook. All the warnings about milkweeds and dogbanes apply to these vines. I frequently find milkvines growing on shrubs along the edges of dry washes. A trek to the Little Harquahala Mountains in Arizona revealed the first one. No conditions seem too harsh for milkvines. Even the Mecca Hills in southern California have a plentiful supply. To the east, foragers in the Chihuahuan Desert can find milkvines along the Rio Grande and other watercourses.

IDENTIFICATION: The Funastrum genus is represented by 5 species in the United States, all of which are native to the Southwest.

Description of milkvines (the Funastrum genus): FORM vines with milky sap; STEMS climbing, twining, or sprawling, up to 3 meters long; LEAVES simple; opposite; blades linear, lanceolate, triangular, or heart-shaped; bases often lobed (hastate or sagittate) margins flat or wavy; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, fragrant, and arranged in axillary cymes or umbels; sepals 5; petals 5, partially united, white, yellow, green, pink, or purple; petal margins usually hairy; coronas arranged in 2 sets, one fused into rings around the stamen columns, the other attached to the stamen columns as horn-like or crown-like appendages; pistils 2; styles 5 and stamens 5, these parts fused into narrow columns; FRUITS follicles narrowly football-shaped and about 3-16 cm long; HABITAT southwestern deserts; appearing in spring, summer, or autumn, often in response to rainfall.

REFERENCES: #1 wavyleaf milkvine (Funastrum crispum = Sarcostemma crispum): flowers Ebeling (p. 790). #2 fringed milkvine (Funastrum cynanchoides = Sarcostemma cynanchoides): sap (gum) Hodgson (p. 85); flowers Hodgson (p. 85); immature fruits Austin (pp. 48-49). #3 hairy milkvine (Funastrum hirtellum = Sarcostemma hirtellum): leaves Couplan (p. 347).