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Apocynaceae
Mexican Blood Flower
Asclepias curassavica
Sacrifice and life-sustaining bonds.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
- Native to
- Mexico, Central America, South America
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 60–100 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- average, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 8–11
- Lifespan
- perennial in warm zones; grown as annual elsewhere
Did you know
- This is the most important milkweed for monarch butterflies throughout the tropics — caterpillars feed exclusively on it.
- The plant's milky white sap contains cardiac glycosides that make monarch caterpillars toxic to predators.
- It is sometimes called 'tropical milkweed' and can bloom year-round in frost-free climates.
- Despite being native to the Americas, it has naturalized across tropical Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
- The common name 'blood flower' refers to the vivid red-and-orange blossoms and the blood-like latex sap.
Color meanings
Red
vital energy and life force
Orange
passionate determination