Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Index/Abstracts
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Native Plants Journal
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Native Plants Journal

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Index/Abstracts
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Visit uwp on Facebook
Research ArticleRefereed Research

Ecology of Asclepias brachystephana: a plant for roadside and right-of-way management

Shaun M McCoshum and Anurag A Agrawal
Native Plants Journal September 2021, 22 (3) 256-267; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/npj.22.3.256
Shaun M McCoshum
Cornell University Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology E145 Corson Hall Ithaca, NY 14853
Roles: Biologist
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Anurag A Agrawal
Cornell University Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology E145 Corson Hall Ithaca, NY 14853
Roles: James A Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Declining insect abundance is occurring around the world, and some management projects are aiming to utilize roadsides and other right-of-ways as insect conservation areas. In the US, the decline of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus Linnaeus [Nymphalidae]) populations has led to multiple studies focusing on a small number of milkweed species (Asclepias [Apocynaceae]) that occur in the major flyways. Here we survey a poorly studied milkweed, bract milkweed (A. brachystephana Engelm. ex Torr.), to document where it grows, which organisms make use of the plants, seed production, and concentrations of milkweed toxins (cardenolides) and to investigate if this species is suitable for roadside or right-of-ways management projects. Our results show that the range of A. brachystephana includes the Chihuahuan Desert and neighboring ecoregions. Plant populations were also observed occurring on roadsides and right-of-ways, rarely spreading into neighboring habitats. We document a variety of native pollinators utilizing floral resources and a few herbivores feeding on plant tissue. Chemical analyses show wild plants produce higher concentrations of toxic cardenolide than many other milkweed species. These data suggest A. brachystephana should be considered for roadside and right-of-way plantings, restoration projects, or seeding throughout the Chihuahuan Desert and adjoining ecoregions.

KEY WORDS
  • roadside
  • bract milkweed
  • cardenolides
  • milkweed
  • Apocynaceae
NOMENCLATURE
  • Additional Plants: USDA NRCS (2021)
  • Insects: (ITIS 2021)
  • Copyright © 2021 the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Native Plants Journal: 22 (3)
Native Plants Journal
Vol. 22, Issue 3
21 Sep 2021
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Native Plants Journal.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Ecology of Asclepias brachystephana: a plant for roadside and right-of-way management
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Native Plants Journal
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Native Plants Journal web site.
Citation Tools
Ecology of Asclepias brachystephana: a plant for roadside and right-of-way management
Shaun M McCoshum, Anurag A Agrawal
Native Plants Journal Sep 2021, 22 (3) 256-267; DOI: 10.3368/npj.22.3.256

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Ecology of Asclepias brachystephana: a plant for roadside and right-of-way management
Shaun M McCoshum, Anurag A Agrawal
Native Plants Journal Sep 2021, 22 (3) 256-267; DOI: 10.3368/npj.22.3.256
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Scarification and pre-chilling requirements for germination of the native forb Utah trefoil (Lotus utahensis Ottley)
  • Using herbarium collections and species observation databases to assess the conservation status of prairie dropseed in Minnesota
  • Impact of biostimulant and cultural factors on whorled mountainmint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum (Michx.) Pers. var. pilosum (Nutt.) Cooperr.): growth performance and assessment of arthropod visitation
Show more Refereed Research

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • roadside
  • bract milkweed
  • cardenolides
  • milkweed
  • Apocynaceae
  • Additional Plants: USDA NRCS (2021)
  • Insects: (ITIS 2021)
UWP

© 2023 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire