Asclepias linaria is a species of milkweed known by the common name pineneedle milkweed. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of Northwestern Mexico and the U.S. states of California and Arizona. This is a large erect perennial herb or shrub coated in hairs and many narrow, green leaves which resemble pine needles. The inflorescence is an umbel-like cluster of flowers, each with pink-tinted rounded hoods at the center and greenish reflexed corollas. The fruit is a follicle. Research indicates that the very high cardenolide content of this species reduces the impact of the OE parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. By contrast, some species of Asclepias are extremely poor sources of cardenolides.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Asclepias linaria across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Asclepias linaria has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens1
Marker genes3
GenBank sequences2
eDNA detections1
Countries1
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★rbcL1★ITS1★ITS2
plant barcodefungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB
The complete instruction manualAsclepias linaria carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Chromosomes2n = 22 n = 11
Ploidydiploid inferred
Chromosome-count records — grouped by value · 2n = full set, n = gamete · click a value for sources & references
n 111×CCDB · book-ipcn67-71
CCDB · book-ipcn67-71 — NIEHAUS, T., & L. WONG, JR. 1971. In IOPB chromosome reports XXXII. Taxon 20: 3Q9-356.
Ploidy records — measured levels and diploid/polyploid inferences · click for sources
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy85% within 1 km
≤100 m 937≤1 km 356≤10 km 171>10 km 59
1 523 georeferenced · 763 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor2 286
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy91% within 1 km
≤100 m 1 203≤1 km 31≤10 km 84>10 km 34
1 352 georeferenced · 768 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence2 120
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions62 of 87 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Mexico City, MX
436
Durango, MX
337
Saint Louis, US
153
Austin, US
119
Zapopan, MX
107
Chicago, US
96
Juriquilla, MX
90
ASUlocation not on record
81
Guasave, MX
67
Mexico City, MX
63
Phoenix, US
40
Zacatecas, MX
39
Universidad de Autonoma de Baja Californialocation not on record
32
Bronx, US
26
Puebla, MX
25
Austin, US
24
Ciudad de México, MX
23
Chapingo, MX
21
Philadelphia, US
17
GB
17
Mexico City, MX
17
Claremont, US
16
Riverside, US
15
Tlalnepantla, MX
15
Madison, US
14
Kew, GB
13
Tampa, US
13
McWane Science Centerlocation not on record
12
Hermosillo, MX
10
Giardini Botanici Hanburylocation not on record
10
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
10
Flagstaff, US
8
Wuzhou, CN
7
The University of Arizonalocation not on record
6
MEXUlocation not on record
6
Fort Worth, US
6
St. Paul, US
6
San Diego, US
4
Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Méxicolocation not on record
4
Logan, US
4
Cambridge, US
4
EL PASO, US
4
Carter County Museumlocation not on record
4
XALlocation not on record
4
Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Región Xalapalocation not on record
4
Instituto de Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipaslocation not on record
4
San Luis Obispo, US
3
San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record
3
San Luis Potosí, MX
3
Paris, FR
3
Anchorage, US
3
Oskarshamn, SE
2
Plocation not on record
2
Durham, US
2
Edinburgh, GB
2
Mexico City, MX
2
Bloomington, US
2
Linares, MX
2
Ann Arbor, US
2
Lubbock, US
2
CASlocation not on record
2
US
2
Angwin, US
2
La Paz, MX
2
Embrapa Agrobiology Diazothrophic Microbial Culture Collectionlocation not on record
1
Morelia, MX
1
Albuquerque, US
1
Edmonton, CA
1
UnBlocation not on record
1
Los Angeles, US
1
IBUGlocation not on record
1
Centro Cultural Santo Domingolocation not on record
1
Taipei, TW
1
Denver, US
1
Université de Bordeauxlocation not on record
1
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (MNCR)location not on record
1
Northridge, US
1
Toluca, MX
1
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
1
DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record
1
Mérida, MX
1
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung: Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseumlocation not on record
1
Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Moreloslocation not on record
1
San Francisco de Campeche, MX
1
South Kensington, GB
1
Berlin, DE
1
Santa Barbara, US
1
87 institutions · 2 097 of 2 120 vouchered records shown · 23 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA1 detections
Where the DNA of Asclepias linaria was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found1
Studies independent surveys1
Countries1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 1 detections have coordinates
Open the map1 country0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median15.7 °C 15.7–15.7
Seasonal swing summer↔winter9.60 °C
Max temp (day)22.0 °C
Min temp (night)9.00 °C
Precipitation34.7 mm/mo
Air humidity50.9 %
Moisture balance-93.3 mm/mo
Vapour deficit884 Pa
Wind speed4.10 m/s
Cloud cover25.5 %
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 1 detection point · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation3 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility5 181 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI1 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics1 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗