# Welsh’s Milkweed (Asclepias welshii)

> A federally threatened dune endemic known from only a handful of active sand dune systems on the Utah–Arizona border, including the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Thick woolly gray leaves and creamy flower clusters on plants that survive by growing up through shifting sand.

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

## Summary

A federally threatened dune endemic known from only a handful of active sand dune systems on the Utah–Arizona border, including the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Thick woolly gray leaves and creamy flower clusters on plants that survive by growing up through shifting sand.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Asclepias welshii N.H. Holmgren & P.K. Holmgren |
| Genus | Asclepias |
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Common names | Welsh’s Milkweed |
| Status | Native; rare or legally protected in part of its range |
| Height | 1.5 ft–4 ft |
| Spread | 2 ft–5 ft |
| Flower color | cream, pink |
| Bloom period | May to July |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry |
| USDA zones | 5-8 |
| Leaf arrangement | opposite |
| Leaf shape | ovate |
| Sap | Milky latex |
| Root system | Rhizomatous, spreads by root |
| Seed stratification | 60 days cold-moist |
| Monarch value (0-5) | 2 |
| Garden value (0-5) | 1 |
| Nectar value (0-5) | 3 |
| US states recorded | Arizona, Utah |

## Identification

- Broad, thick, densely white-woolly leaves in well-spaced opposite pairs.
- Creamy-white flowers tinged pink, in dense terminal clusters.
- Grows only in active, shifting sand dunes, so habitat alone identifies it.

## Ecology

A dune specialist whose rhizomes let it re-emerge after burial by moving sand. Off-road vehicle traffic and dune stabilisation by invasive plants are the principal threats.

## Growing

Legally protected. Do not collect seed, plants or cuttings, and do not attempt to cultivate it from wild material.

## Cautions

Listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. Collection is prohibited.

## References

- Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:21339-2
- GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/3170262
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158765
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_welshii
- BONAP county map: https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asclepias%20welshii.png
- NatureServe: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search?searchTerm=Asclepias%20welshii

## Photographs

- Welsh milkweed (Asclepias welshii) Habitat (6307381392) (USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsh_milkweed_(Asclepias_welshii)_Habitat_(6307381392).jpg
- Welsh milkweed (Asclepias welshii) Habitat (6307382808) (USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsh_milkweed_(Asclepias_welshii)_Habitat_(6307382808).jpg
- Asclepias welshii (Daniela Roth, USFWS, CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_welshii.jpg
- Welsh’s Milkweed photographed in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kanab, UT, US (Jared Shorma, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/241602907
- Welsh’s Milkweed photographed in Canyon Point, UT 84741, USA (Darrin Gobble, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117232610
- Welsh’s Milkweed photographed in United States (Public domain (CC0), CC0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/137475358
- Welsh’s Milkweed photographed in Kane County, UT, USA (Anders Hastings, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/308347610
- Welsh’s Milkweed photographed in Coral Pink Sand Dunes Rd, Kanab, UT, US (Parker James Lloyd, CC BY 4.0): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/363951195

## How to cite

Milkweed USA. (2026). Welsh’s Milkweed (Asclepias welshii). https://milkweedusa.com/species/welshs-milkweed/