# Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras)

> A jewel of the Great Basin: a low sprawling rosette of round, waxy, blue-green leaves surrounding cream flowers with vivid rose-pink hoods, blooming in spring on barren clay and shale slopes where nothing else grows.

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

## Summary

A jewel of the Great Basin: a low sprawling rosette of round, waxy, blue-green leaves surrounding cream flowers with vivid rose-pink hoods, blooming in spring on barren clay and shale slopes where nothing else grows.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias cryptoceras S. Watson |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Pallid Milkweed, Jewelled Milkweed, Humboldt Mountain Milkweed |
| Status | Native |
| Height | 4 in–1 ft |
| Spread | 1 ft–2 ft |
| Flower color | cream, pink |
| Bloom period | April to June |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 4-8 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | orbicular |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Deep taproot, resents transplanting |
| Seed stratification | 60 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 2 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 2 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |

## Identification

- Prostrate habit: the plant lies flat on the ground in a neat circle.
- Leaves nearly circular, thick, smooth and glaucous blue-green.
- Flowers cream with startlingly pink or purple hoods, unlike any other milkweed.

## Ecology

A specialist of harsh desert substrates. Little used by monarchs because it goes dormant by early summer, but botanically one of the most remarkable plants in the genus.

## Growing

For experienced rock gardeners only. Needs a mineral, unwatered, perfectly drained site and a long cold stratification.

## Cautions

Standard milkweed cautions.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:94206-1
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170263
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62297
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_cryptoceras
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20cryptoceras.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20cryptoceras

## Photographs

- Asclepias cryptoceras ssp. davisii plant-4-12-04 (Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_cryptoceras_ssp._davisii_plant-4-12-04.jpg
- Asclepias cryptoceras (Mary Winter, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_cryptoceras.jpg
- Asclepias cryptoceras ssp. davisii fruit-5-12-04 (Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_cryptoceras_ssp._davisii_fruit-5-12-04.jpg
- Asclepias cryptoceras ssp. davisii-4-12-04 (Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_cryptoceras_ssp._davisii-4-12-04.jpg
- Cow cabbage, Asclepias cryptoceras (15458150903) (Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cow_cabbage,_Asclepias_cryptoceras_(15458150903).jpg
- Cow cabbage, Asclepias cryptoceras (49068243972) (Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cow_cabbage,_Asclepias_cryptoceras_(49068243972).jpg
- Cow cabbage, Asclepias cryptoceras (49068037891) (Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cow_cabbage,_Asclepias_cryptoceras_(49068037891).jpg
- Asclepias cryptoceras - Flickr - aspidoscelis (Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_cryptoceras_-_Flickr_-_aspidoscelis.jpg

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Pallid Milkweed (Asclepias cryptoceras). https://milkweedusa.com/species/pallid-milkweed/