| Asclepias ovalifolia |
| Dwarf milkweed |
Key Characteristics
Slender perennial forb (20-60 cm) of oak barrens; leaves opposite on short petioles, usually limited to 4-6 pairs; flowers white to green, borne in clusters with long stalks.
Status and Rank
- State Status: E - Endangered (legally protected)
- State Rank: S1 - Critically imperiled
- Global Rank: G5? - Secure (inexact)
Occurrences
| County Name | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Menominee | 4 | 2007 |
![Occurrence Map for [Sname]](/mnfi/maptmp/NFR_Distributions12590186143580.png)
Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.
Habitat
Currently only known from southern Menominee County, where it occurs in a mix of oak barrens and oak-pine barrens (oak-jack pine savanna).
Natural Community Types
Associated Plants
Black oak, white oak, jack pine, red maple, black cherry, pin oak, hickory, sassafras, service berry, New Jersey tea, sweetfern, beaked hazelnut, wintergreen, huckleberry, sand cherry, dwarf chinquapin oak, low sweet blueberry, little bluestem, big bluestem, sky-blue aster, false foxglove, tickseed, nut grass, flowering spurge, hair grass, tall sunflower, dwarf dandelion, blazing star, wild bergamot, goats-rue, wood betony, needle grass, and birdfoot violet.
Management
This species likely requires natural disturbances associated with prairie habitat such as prescribed fire or brush removal to prevent woody plant succession. Much of this habitat type has been lost or severely degraded.
General Survey Guidelines
Random meander search covers areas that appear likely to have rare taxa, based on habitat and the judgment of the investigator.
Survey Methods
- Meander search
Survey Period: From first week of July to fourth week of July
Survey Comments: Optimal surveys are during bloom period, but can be recognized in fruit past the period indicated
References
Survey References
- Elzinga, C.L., D.W. Salzer, and J.W. Willoughby. 1998. Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations. The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management, Denver. BLM Technical Reference 1730-1. 477pp.
- Goff, G.F., G.A. Dawson, and J.J. Rochow. 1982. Site examination for Threatened and Endangered plant species. Environmental Management 6(4): 307-316
- Nelson, J.R. 1984. Rare Plant Field Survey Guidelines. In: J.P. Smith and R. York. Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 3rd Ed. California Native Plant Society, Berkeley. 174pp.
- Nelson, J.R. 1986. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques For Impact Assessment. Natural Areas Journal 5(3):18-30.
- Nelson, J.R. 1987. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques for Impact Assessment. In: Conservation and management of rare and endangered plants. Ed. T.S. Elias. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 8pp.
Technical References
- Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second edition. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 910pp.
- Gray, A. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany; eighth ed. Van Nostrand Reinghold, New York. 1632pp.
- Holmgren, N.H. 1998. Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the vascular plants of Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 937pp.
- Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region, 4th ed. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. 921pp.
- Voss, E.G. 1996. Michigan Flora. Part III. Dicots (Pyrolaceae-Compositae). Bulletin of the Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium. 622pp.