MilkweedUSA

Native rare or protected·Monarch value ·Garden ·Nectar

Eastwood’s Milkweed

Asclepias eastwoodiana Barneby

A Nevada endemic of barren volcanic gravel and clay flats in the central Great Basin, forming low gray-green tufts with dusky maroon and cream flowers. Known from a small number of populations and tracked as a sensitive species.

Also called Great Basin Milkweed.

Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Asclepias eastwoodiana
Matt Berger (sheriff_woody_pct on inaturalist) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Height
6 in–1.2 ft
Spread
10 in–1.7 ft
Flowers
maroon, cream
Bloom
May to June
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry
USDA zones
5–8
Leaves
Opposite, ovate
Sap
Milky latex
Roots
Deep taproot, resents transplanting
Stratification
60 days cold-moist
Range
1 state

When it flowers

Eastwood’s Milkweed blooms May to June, peaking in May and June.

JFMAMJJASOND

How to identify it

  • Low, tufted habit on bare volcanic or ash-derived soils.
  • Greyish, softly hairy, broadly oval leaves.
  • Small flowers with maroon corolla lobes and pale cream hoods.
Diagram of Eastwood’s Milkweed showing opposite ovate leaves and maroon flower clusters
Diagnostic plate Drawn from this species' own characters: opposite leaves, ovate in shape, sprawling, with maroon to cream umbels. Sap is milky.
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Dave Deacon Camp Rd, Tonopah, NV, US
Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Nevada, US
sdash · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Dave Deacon Camp Rd, Tonopah, NV, US
Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Dave Deacon Camp Rd, Tonopah, NV, US
Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Dave Deacon Camp Rd, Tonopah, NV, US
Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Dave Deacon Camp Rd, Tonopah, NV, US
Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Eastwood’s Milkweed photographed in Dave Deacon Camp Rd, Tonopah, NV, US
Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Ecology and wildlife value

A narrow endemic of a habitat type increasingly targeted for mineral exploration. Its pollinators and larval use are poorly documented.

Growing eastwood’s milkweed

Not in cultivation, and should not be collected.

Seed needs about 60 days of cold-moist stratification. Deep taproot, resents transplanting. See how to plant milkweed seed for the full method.

Cautions

A restricted Nevada endemic. Record and report sightings rather than collecting. More on milkweed toxicity.

Where eastwood’s milkweed grows

Recorded in 1 state: Nevada.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYMARIORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCTXOKLAMSALGAHIFL

Distribution is generalized to state level. For county-level maps see USDA PLANTS and BONAP.

References and further reading

Names, ranges and conservation status here are drawn from the databases below. Where those disagree with a regional flora, trust the flora.

  1. Plants of the World Online 21182-2. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Accepted name, authorship and global distribution.
  2. GBIF 3578016. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Aggregated occurrence records.
  3. iNaturalist 541501. Community observations, photographs and phenology.
  4. Wikipedia. General-audience article on this species.
  5. BONAP county distribution map. Biota of North America Program. County-level range map.
  6. NatureServe Explorer. Conservation status ranks at global and state level.
  7. World Flora Online. Nomenclature and synonymy.
  8. Woodson, R. E. (1954). The North American species of Asclepias L.. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 41(1): 1–211. The monograph the modern taxonomy of the genus still rests on. View
  9. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.) (2026). Flora of North America North of Mexico. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford. Accepted names, keys and descriptions for the North American flora. View
  10. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2026). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Nomenclature and global distribution, keyed to IPNI name identifiers. View
  11. Kartesz, J. T. (Biota of North America Program) (2026). North American Plant Atlas. BONAP, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. County-level distribution maps, the basis for the ranges generalized here. View
  12. USDA, NRCS (2026). The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, North Carolina. State-level distribution, wetland status and nomenclature. View
  13. Agrawal, A. A. (2017). Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution. Princeton University Press. The standard general account of the milkweed and monarch relationship. View

Cite this page

This page is licensed CC BY 4.0. Quote it, adapt it and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you credit Milkweed USA and link back.

APA Milkweed USA. (2026). Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana). Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/species/eastwoods-milkweed/
MLA "Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/species/eastwoods-milkweed/. Accessed DATE.
Chicago Milkweed USA. "Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana)." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/species/eastwoods-milkweed/.
BibTeX @misc{milkweedusa_specieseastwoodsmilkweed, title = {Eastwood’s Milkweed (Asclepias eastwoodiana)}, author = {{Milkweed USA}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://milkweedusa.com/species/eastwoods-milkweed/}, note = {Accessed DATE} }