Asclepias incarnata

Swamp milkweed is an herbaceous perennial in the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family. Apocynum is the Greek term for “dog-away.” It is native to the central and eastern United States and tends to grow in wet sites along streams, ponds, or bogs. 

Plant swamp milkweed in full sun to partial shade in soils with neutral to acidic pH. It is native to wet sites but adapts to drier sites in moist clay or loam soils. 

The attractive pink to rose-purple flowers mature in mid-spring and last into early fall. The seed pods split open to release seeds that float on the wind. Milkweed is an important food source for Monarch butterfly caterpillars (Danaus plexippus), and the flowers are visited by many pollinators.  It is resistant to browsing by deer.

Use as an accent or border in a meadow, native, or pollinator garden. It will be at home in a naturalized area or along a pond or stream where it can grow up to 5 feet tall and spread 2 to 3 feet wide.

This plant was selected as the 2005 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant disease problems. Most common milkweed pests (aphids, milkweed beetles, Monarch larvae, and milkweed tussock moth larvae) are not problematic, but both large and small milkweed bugs can be very damaging to seed pods.