| Common Name |
Butterfly Milkweed |
| Latin Name |
Asclepias tuberosa |
| Family / Origin |
Asclepiadaceae / |
| Sunset zone / USDA zone |
All zones / 3-9 |
| Type / Form |
Perennial bush / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
All but northeastern U. S. in open woods fields |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam, low
to high organic content, well drained |
| Exposure |
Full or partial sun |
| Water |
Once or twice per month depending on soil in hot weather |
| Height X Width |
2 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
Poisonous |
| Leaves |
Dark green |
| Flowers |
Bright red or orange flower in mid-summer followed by
attractive pods in fall |
| Bark / Roots |
To 60 cm tall, erect or ascending, herbaceous, hirsute
and also with vertical lines of hairs from leaf bases, typically simple
but branching near apex, from a woody crown |
| Maintenance |
Low |
| Propagation |
Seed |
| Pests and Diseases |
Caterpillars |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, low maintenance, foliage accent |
| Garden Suitability |
Hummingbird, Songbird, Thornless |
| Nature Value |
Butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds use flowers |
| Native American Uses |
Entire plant cooked and eaten [?], several medicinal uses,
fiber made from bark, may be toxic |
| Comments |
Larval host the below butterflies and adult nectar
provider to almost all butterflies:
Monarch
Queen
(Danaus plexippus)
(Danaus gilippus) |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://www.floridata.com/ref/a/ascl_tub.cfm |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/73/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/asclepiastube.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/Asclepias.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.mobot.org/gardinghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B490 |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASTU |
| Images and data |
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/oranges/orange12.html |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_weed |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Asclepiadaceae/Asclepias_tuberosa.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.missouriplants.com/Redalt/Asclepias_tuberosa_page.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/btf_milkweedx.htm |
| Images and data |
http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3789 |
| Images and data |
http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=70 |
| Images and data |
http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantdetail&plant_id=85 |
| Images and data |
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?spcode=ASCTUBsINT |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflowerinformation.org/Wildflower.asp?ID=59 |
| Images and data |
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/yellow%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/asclepias.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.utep.edu/leb/chih/gardens/plants/ascltube.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=9705 |
| Images and data |
http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2005/06/27/butterfly-milkweed/ |
| Data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Asclepias+tuberosa |
| Data |
http://butterflybushes.com/milkweed.htm |
| Distribution map |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ASTU |
| Nursery, images and data |
http://www.butterflybushes.com/milkweed.htm |
| Seeds |
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistAP-AZ.htm |
