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Apocynaceae
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Attraction and joy.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
- Native to
- Eastern North America, Central North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 1-2.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, sandy, dry soil
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 3-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Butterfly Weed is unique among milkweeds because it produces clear sap instead of the typical milky white latex.
- It was named the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2017 by the Perennial Plant Association.
- Native Americans chewed the root to treat pleurisy and other lung ailments, earning it the name 'pleurisy root.'
- The brilliant orange flowers attract more butterfly species than almost any other native wildflower.
- Butterfly Weed has a deep taproot that makes it extremely drought-tolerant but very difficult to transplant.
Color meanings
0
letting go
1
healing