Plant Image
Flower
Grapevine Canyon - Sue Smith


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Funastrum crispum - wavyleaf twinevine

Synonyms: Sarcostemma crispum, Sarcostemma lobata
Other Common Names: wavy-leaf milkweed vine
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Asclepiadaceae


   
 
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Leaf
Grapevine Canyon
Sue Smith
Leaf
Grapevine Canyon
Sue Smith
Leaves and stem
Grapevine Canyon
Sue Smith
Vine
Grapevine Canyon
Sue Smith
Seed pod
Grapevine Canyon
Sue Smith
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Perennial
General Desc: A twining milkweed vine with long, narrow, wavy leaves; flowers in umbel-like clusters. When the stems and leaves are damaged, they exude a milky-white sap.
Identification notes: Perennial vine with milky sap; downward curving hairs on stems. Leaves opposite on short stalks, hairy, narrow and triangular with wavy edges. Flowers red, purple, or green in flat-topped clusters of 4 to 10 at the top of short hairy stalks.
Height: Vine, varies

Habitat

Habitat Description: Found in open dry rocky canyons and often among shrubs in chaparral and pinyon juniper woodlands.
Plant Communities: Interior Chaparral, Pinyon Juniper Woodland
Elevation: 3000 - 5500 feet

Flower Characteristics

Color: Red to purple or green     Shape: Regular in round clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Apr - Aug
Description: Flowers fringed with white hairs in flat-topped clusters of 4 to 10 at the top of short hairy stalks.

Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Narrow     Leaf Margin: Other     Leaf Attachment: Opposite     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: The narrow green arrowhead-shaped leaves are 1 to 4 inches long and the margins are wavy.

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Green to brown   
Fruit Notes: The long, narrow follicles are 4 to 6 inches long. Follicles open on 1 side only to release its seeds.
Seed Notes: Seeds are brown with long, silky, white hairs to help them disperse in the wind.

  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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