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Apocynaceae
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Hope and transformation.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 1-2.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- Sandy, dry, well-drained soil
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 3-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Unlike other milkweeds, butterfly milkweed does not produce milky white sap, having clear sap instead.
- It is the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars, which feed exclusively on milkweed species.
- Native Americans chewed the root to treat pleurisy and other lung ailments, earning it the name pleurisy root.
- Butterfly milkweed has a deep taproot that makes it extremely drought-tolerant but nearly impossible to transplant.
- The genus name Asclepias honors the Greek god of medicine, reflecting the plant's extensive use in herbal healing.
Color meanings
0
let me go
1
heartache cure
2
transformation