Asclepias syriaca
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Asclepias apocinum
- Asclepias pubescens
- Asclepias syriaca f. inermis
- Phonetic Spelling
- as-KLEE-pee-as seer-ee-AY-kah
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Common milkweed is a deciduous, native, herbaceous perennial wildflower in the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family. It grows in average, well-drained soils in full sun but can tolerate poor or dry soils. It propagates easily by seed or root cuttings and will naturalize in the garden, taking up quite a bit of space.
In summer, five-petaled flowers bloom with up to 100 flowers per cluster and one to three clusters per stem. Fragrant flowers in colors of green, pink, white, and purple or lavender will last from June through August. Plants can grow 3 to 5 feet tall. Leaf arrangement is opposite and is oblong in shape with reddish veins.
Common milkweed not only provides nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators but is a larval host plant for Monarch butterflies.
Native Americans used the milkweed plant for fiber sources. Life jackets were made from the coma of the seeds during WWII. Today, coma is used for pillows and blankets.
Common milkweed can be used in naturalized areas, meadows, and butterfly, native, or pollinator gardens, but its wild and rangy form is not ideal for planting in borders.
The bark, flower, seed pods, leaves, roots, and stems are poisonous, which can be a problem for cats, dogs, and horses.
Quick ID Hints:
- Stems and leaves when crushed will produce a milky liquid and sap.
- Many hairtufted seeds are dispersed by the wind.
- Seed pods have a warty appearance.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems but can be weedy. Milkweed-feeding aphids are common, though can be left alone and will attract beneficial insects that will feed on them. It does not tolerate shade.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Dry Stream Bed Garden in Cabarrus County
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Asclepias
- Species:
- syriaca
- Family:
- Apocynaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans used the plant as a fiber source. During WWII the seeds were collected and the hairy coma or "floss" on the seeds was used in making life jackets. The coma is used today for pillows and blankets.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central & E. Canada to Central & E. U.S.A., NC
- Wildlife Value:
- Flowers provide a nectar source for butterflies, bees and other pollinators and the plant is the larval host plant of the monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth. Also fed upon by the milkweed weevil and milkweed longhorn beetle.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Easy to Grow
- Fragrance
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 8 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Good Dried
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit a hairy and spiked gray follicle dry and inflated, 2"-4" long 1 2/3" wide erect, with a thick end and tapered tip. It has many hair-tufted seeds that are wind dispersed. Seed pod has a warty appearance and is used in dried flower arrangments. Displays from July through September
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Umbel
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- 2- to 3-in., domed umbel of dusty pink or lavender 5 petaled flowers with up to 100 flowers per cluster and 1-3 clusters per stem. They grow in the leaf axis; often drooping. The bloom season is long-lasting from June through August.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Lanceolate
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 3- to 12-inch, thick light green opposite, oblong leaves; downy underside; reddish veins, rounded at both ends or abruptly pointed at the tip. Milky sap when crushed.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Have a milky liquid when crushed.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Erosion
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
- Weedy
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Can cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, and confusion if eaten in quantity. Milky sap can cause contact dermatitis and eye irritation.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Cardiac glycosides and resinoids
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- Yes
- Poison Part:
- Bark
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Roots
- Seeds
- Stems
