Botanical Family · Gentianales
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
83 speciesOrder Gentianales8+ well-known plants
Now often included in Apocynaceae, this family of milkweeds and hoyas is characterised by milky sap and specialised pollinia (pollen masses). Found in tropical and subtropical regions, many are twining climbers or succulent herbs.
Browse all 83 species ↓
Opposite leaves with milky sap; radially symmetrical flowers carry a crown-like corona and package their pollen into waxy pollinia rather than loose grains, maturing into paired horn-shaped follicles full of silk-tufted seeds.
Many genera concentrate potent cardiac glycosides in the milky sap — a chemical defence historically used as arrow poison and, in tiny doses, in heart medicine.
Which Asclepiadaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Asclepiadaceae species.
Leaf ShapeWhat shape are the leaves?
Absent (leafless)
Broad oval
Broad oval, small
Cordate
Elliptic
Heart-shaped
Lanceolate
Narrow lance/sword-shaped
Ovate
Thick waxy succulent
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Maroon/dark purple
White
Yellow-green
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Leafless succulent (cactus-like)
Succulent
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Purple/violet
White
Yellow
Yellow-green
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Tree
Twining/climbing vine
Upright shrub/herb
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Climbing vine
Succulent
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Purple/violet
Yellow-green
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Herb
Upright shrub/herb
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Maroon/dark purple
Pink
White
Yellow-green
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Twining/climbing vine
Upright shrub/herb
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Twining/climbing vine
Upright shrub/herb
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Climbing vine
Twining/climbing vine
How to recognise the Asclepiadaceae family
- 01
Milky latex sap
- 02
Pollen in waxy pollinia masses
- 03
Paired follicle fruits with silky seeds
Typical leaf characters
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Typical flower & fruit
- Flower symmetryActinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- InflorescenceCyme
- FruitFollicle
Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.
Notable members
Garden Silk-Weed, Blood Flower, Bastard Ipecac, Curassavian Swallow-WortAsclepias curassavicaGiant Milk-Weed, Giant Swallow Wort Madar Plant, Bowstring Hemp, Crown Flower, Giant CalotropeCalotropis giganteaGiant MilkweedCalotropis proceraDark Purple CarallumaCaralluma stalagmifera var. stalagmiferaAnant's CeropegiaCeropegia anantiiTender CeropegiaCeropegia attenuataBulbous CeropegiaCeropegia bulbosa var. bulbosaBulbous CeropegiaCeropegia bulbosa var. lushii
All 83 species in ASCLEPIADACEAE
- Garden Silk-Weed, Blood Flower, Bastard Ipecac, Curassavian Swallow-WortAsclepias curassavica
- Giant Milk-Weed, Giant Swallow Wort Madar Plant, Bowstring Hemp, Crown Flower, Giant CalotropeCalotropis gigantea
- Giant MilkweedCalotropis procera
- Dark Purple CarallumaCaralluma stalagmifera var. stalagmifera
- Anant's CeropegiaCeropegia anantii
- Tender CeropegiaCeropegia attenuata
- Bulbous CeropegiaCeropegia bulbosa var. bulbosa
- Bulbous CeropegiaCeropegia bulbosa var. lushii
- Candlestick CeropegiaCeropegia candelabrum var. biflora
- Candlestick CeropegiaCeropegia candelabrum var. candelabrum
- Short-Stem CeropegiaCeropegia decaisneana
- Mysore CeropegiaCeropegia elegans
- Sword-Leaf CeropegiaCeropegia ensifolia
- Heartleaf CeropegiaCeropegia evansii
- Fantastic CeropegiaCeropegia fantastica
- Hairy CeropegiaCeropegia hirsuta
- Huber's CeropegiaCeropegia huberi
- Intermediate CeropegiaCeropegia intermedia
- Jaini CeropegiaCeropegia jainii
- Leafless Goglet FlowerCeropegia juncea
- Maharashtra CeropegiaCeropegia lawii
- Yellow-Head Grey CeropegiaCeropegia maccannii
- Spotted CeropegiaCeropegia maculata
- Ralegaon CeropegiaCeropegia mahabalei
- Medium CeropegiaCeropegia media
- Noorjahan CeropegiaCeropegia noorjahaniae
- Peacock CeropegiaCeropegia oculata
- Fragrant CeropegiaCeropegia odorata
- White Flattened CeropegiaCeropegia santapaui
- Spiral CeropegiaCeropegia spiralis
- Vinca-Leaved CeropegiaCeropegia vincifolia
- Green Milkweed CreeperCosmostigma racemosum
- Wax-Leaved ClimberCryptolepis buchananii
- Large-Flowered CryptolepisCryptolepis grandiflora
- Rubber-Vine, Purple AllamandaCryptostegia grandiflora
- Pretty-Wing Swallow-WortCynanchum callialatum
- White Milk VineCynanchum tunicatum
- Swallow-RootDecalepis hamiltonii
- Shiv SumanFrerea indica
- Balloon Cottonbush, Balloon PlantGomphocarpus physocarpus
- Periploca Of The Woods, Sugar Killer Vine, Small Indian Ipecac, GymnemaGymnema sylvestre
- Indian Sarasaparilla, False Sarsaparilla, Country SarasaparillaHemidesmus indicus var. indicus
- Indian Sarasaparilla, False Sarsaparilla, Country SarasaparillaHemidesmus indicus var. pubescens
- Deccan Star CreeperHeterostemma dalzellii
- HolostemmaHolostemma annulare
- Wax PlantHoya carnosa
- Pendulous Wax FlowerHoya wightii
- Cork Swallow-WortLeptadenia reticulata
- Rosy Milkweed VineOxystelma esculentum
- Small-Leaf MilkweedPentatropis capensis
- Trellis VinePergularia daemia
- East-Indian Globe ThistleSarcostemma intermedium
- Moon Creeper, Moon PlantSarcostemma viminale
- Emetic SecamoneSecamone emetica
- Telosma VineTelosma pallida
- Indian Bowfruit VineToxocarpus kleinii
- Panacea Twiner, Emetic Swallow-Wort, Emetic Swallow-Wort, Indian IpecacuanhaTylophora indica
- Emetic Swallow WortTylophora indica var. glabra
- Milk-Weed Climber, Green Wax Flower, Sneezing Silk Cotton, Sneeze WortWattakaka volubilis
- Bidaria elegans
- Brachystelma ciliatum
- Brachystelma elenaduensis
- Brachystelma volubile
- Caralluma adscendens var. attenuata
- Caralluma adscendens var. fimbriata
- Caralluma bicolor
- Caralluma truncatocoronata
- Caralluma umbellata
- Ceropegia concanensis
- Ceropegia pullaiahii
- Genianthus laurifolius
- Gymnema montanum
- Hoya alexicaca
- Hoya parasitica
- Seshagiria sahyadrica
- Tylophora capparidifolia
- Tylophora dalzellii
- Tylophora fasciculata
- Tylophora pauciflora
- Tylophora rotundifolia
- Tylophora subramanii
- Tylophora tenuissima
- Utleria salicifolia
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