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Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Asclepias tuberosa
Phenology Observation Sheet for Wildflowers and Herbs

COMMON NAME

butterfly milkweed

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Asclepias tuberosa

Plant family

Dogbane (Apocynaceae)

Plant group

Wildflowers and Herbs

A perennial herb growing 1-3 ft tall, often with multiple hairy stems that can stand erect or lie procumbent, stems often branching.
449 reports
164+
OBSERVERS
449+
OBSERVATIONS
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Identification hints

Butterfly milkweed is unique among milkweeds with its orange flowers and clear sap. Leaves are arranged alternately around the stem, which is atypical for milkweeds.
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Did you know?

Butterfly milkweed is not a preferred host species for monarch caterpillars, probably because the leaves are rough and the plant is low in the cardenolides (that toxins that transfer to monarch caterpillar from the host plant).
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , California , Colorado , Connecticut , District of Columbia , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Iowa , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Massachusetts , Maryland , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Mississippi , North Carolina , Nebraska , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , Ohio , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas , Utah , Virginia , Vermont , Wisconsin , West Virginia
HABITAT
Butterfly milkweed can be found in dry, sand, or gravel soil, in full sun.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
Leaves are alternately arranged along the stem. They are 2½–3½" long and ½–¾", oblong shaped with the ends tapering to a point and the leaf bases somewhat rounded, joined to the stem without a leaf stalk (sessile). The leaves are dark green with hairs on the upper and lower surfaces.
Flowers
Butterfly milkweed flowers are bright orange and arranged in a dense cluster about 1-2½" across, containing 8-25 flowers. The petals, hoods and horns are all orange with in some, the petals appear very dark orange-reddish or yellow. The petals are bent downwards, the horns protrude out of the hoods. Flowers are known to last long
Fruits
The fruit of Butterfly milkweed is a seedpod that opens along one side (follicle). It's smooth and hairy, 4-6" long and very slender, becoming brown when ripe. The flat oval-shaped seeds have a tuft of silky white hair attached.
Bloom Time
Blooms early to mid-summer, and some plants can bloom again in late summer-early autumn.

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