# Mojave Milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia)

> A low desert milkweed with broad soft leaves like a four-o’clock plant and nodding clusters of green-cream flowers, scattered across sandy flats and washes in the Mojave and northern Sonoran deserts.

Source: https://milkweedusa.com/species/mojave-milkweed/  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Milkweed USA)

## Summary

A low desert milkweed with broad soft leaves like a four-o’clock plant and nodding clusters of green-cream flowers, scattered across sandy flats and washes in the Mojave and northern Sonoran deserts.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias nyctaginifolia A. Gray |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Mojave Milkweed, Four-o’clock Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 6 in–1.5 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Flower color | green, cream |
| Bloom period | April to June |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 7-10 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | ovate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 30 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 2 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 2 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 2 |
| US states recorded | Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah |

## Identification

- Broad, soft, wavy-margined leaves close to the ground.
- Nodding clusters of pale green flowers on short stalks.
- Sandy desert flats, washes and roadside margins.

## Ecology

A spring desert host used during northward monarch and queen movement.

## Growing

Not in cultivation.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94494-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170320
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62294
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_nyctaginifolia
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20nyctaginifolia.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20nyctaginifolia

## Photographs

- Asclepias nyctaginifolia (Mike, CC BY-SA 3.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_nyctaginifolia.jpg
- South side of Ute Lake - Flickr - aspidoscelis (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_side_of_Ute_Lake_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis.jpg
- Near Caracita Creek - Flickr - aspidoscelis (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Near_Caracita_Creek_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis.jpg
- Mojave Milkweed photographed in Crown King, AZ 86343, USA (Marie Domokos, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/321743188
- Mojave Milkweed photographed in Santa Cruz County, AZ, USA (Sue Carnahan, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/258040780
- Mojave Milkweed photographed in Finley Tank Rd, Elgin, AZ, US (Brad Grimm, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30904368
- Mojave Milkweed photographed in 33.369 -108.116 (Public domain (CC0), CC0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9256957
- Mojave Milkweed photographed in Agua Prieta, MX-SO, MX (Jonathan Rodriguez, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/56749702

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Mojave Milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia). https://milkweedusa.com/species/mojave-milkweed/