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Apocynaceae
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Renewal, transformation, hope.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Asclepias
- Native to
- North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 90–150 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Moist to wet
- Water
- High; thrives in wet feet
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Swamp milkweed is one of the most important host plants for monarch butterfly caterpillars — they eat nothing else, and the alkaloids they ingest make them poisonous to predators.
- Despite the name, it grows happily in average garden soil — not just swamps — and is one of the easiest milkweeds to grow.
- The flowers smell faintly of vanilla and attract monarchs, swallowtails, hummingbirds, and over a dozen species of native bees.
- Each tiny flower has a complex five-part structure that has to perfectly clamp onto a visiting insect's leg to transfer pollen — pollination is so specific that some bees can't manage it.
- Native peoples used the silky fibers from the seed pods as kapok-like stuffing, and during WWII over 11 million pounds were collected to fill life jackets when imported kapok was unavailable.
Color meanings
Pink
Tender protection