Apocynaceae
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Freedom and release.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 3-5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, average soil
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Common milkweed is the primary host plant for monarch butterfly larvae; without it, monarchs cannot complete their life cycle.
- During World War II, children collected milkweed pods to fill life jackets, as the silky fibers are six times more buoyant than cork.
- The species name 'syriaca' is a mistake by Linnaeus, who thought the plant came from Syria rather than North America.
- Milkweed latex contains cardiac glycosides that make monarch butterflies toxic to predators after feeding on the plant.
- Each milkweed pod contains around 200 seeds, each attached to silky floss that can carry it over a mile on the wind.
Color meanings
0
hope
1
letting go