About Asclepias cryptoceras S.Watson
Asclepias cryptoceras S.Watson is a species of milkweed with several common names: jewel milkweed, pallid milkweed, Humboldt Mountains milkweed, and cow-cabbage. It is native to the Great Basin region of western North America, where it grows in many habitat types, most commonly in dry areas. This plant is a low-growing perennial herb that grows close to the ground or has a drooping growth habit. It grows from a thick, woody root that resembles a rhizome. Its thick leaves are round to heart-shaped, and grow in opposite arrangement along the plant's short stem. The inflorescence is a cluster of small flowers; each flower has bright to dull pink hoods at its center, surrounded by pale-colored reflexed corollas. The fruit of this plant is a follicle that is held upright on a small stalk. The Northern Paiute people used this plant as a medicinal remedy: they prepared its roots to treat headaches and sores, and used its latex to treat ringworm.
