Asclepias syriaca
Common Milkweed
Description:
Plant commonly referred to as milkweed. Flowers are white and purple, and are also clustered in umbels and bloom in early summer. Fruits appear mid to late summer. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies are attracted. The plant is the larval host for monarch butterflies. The plant contains cardiac glycosides which makes them and organisms that eat them poisonous. They grow well in dry, slightly acidic to neutral, clayey or sandy soils in uplands.
Plant Overview:
| Plant Family: | Asclepiadaceae |
| Plant Duration: | Perennial |
| Plant Type: | Herbaceous |
| Attracts Pollinators and Wildlife: | Bees, Hummingbirds, Butterflies |
| Bloom Time: | Mid-June to late July |
| Fruit Timing: | July to September |
| Global and State Rank: | G5, S5 |
| Commercially available landscape plant? | No |
Soil Characteristics: | |
| Soil Type: | Clay, Sandy |
| Soil Moisture: | Dry |
| Soil pH: | Slightly Acidic, Neutral |
Light Needs: | |
| Opitmal Light: | Sun |
| Light Range: | Sun |
Water Needs of Plant: | |
| Soil Moisture: | Dry |