Asclepias incarnata | Milkweed

Asclepias incarnata | Milkweed

Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family) Pronounced Ah-pos-eh-NAY-cee-eye

Pronounced Ah-SKLEE-pee-uhs 

Asclepia syriaca (seer-ee-AY-kah) is known as the Common Milkweed; large balls of pink or purplish color;

--This is what I believe I have in my garden.

Asclepias incarnata (in-kar-NAH-tus) is known as Swamp Milkweed and is native to Missouri; small rose-purple flowers; also known as Pink Milkweed

--- The various specicies are identifiable by flower color.

Asclepias asperula is Antelope-horns Milkweed or Spider Milkweed and is white;

Asclepias californica is California Milkweed and has white whooly leaves and pink and white flowers;

Asclepias fascicularis is Mexican Whorled Milkweed similar to verticillata only tinged in pink

Asclepias purpurascens is Purple Milkweed and has magenta-purple flowers;

Asclepias speciosa is Showy Milkweed and has part rose and part white flowers;

Asclepia tuberosa is Butterflyweed and is orange;

Asclepias variegata is White milkweed with small white flowers

Asclepias verticillata is Whorled milkweed and has thin leaves whorled on a stem and greenish-white flowers

Asclepias viridis is Green Milkweed or  green antelopehorn milkweed and has white flowers

 

I have tried to grow Milkweed for years, buying starter plants at the native plant sale at the conservation center, but they always disappeared and I never saw them again.

I wanted to grow them, as many conservation minded people, because the Monarch butterfly requires them and no one wants the classic Monarch butterfly to become extinct. If I can do my part to help, why not? Monarchs have a life cycle that includes four stages as egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Female Monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed plants so that the larvae will have food to each when it hatches. They find milkweed by chemical and visual cues. Monarch larvae only eat milkweed plants of the genera Asclepias and Ampelamus. If there are no milkweeds plants, there will be no monarchs.

In 2023, they came up but never did much of anything, and then they were gone, just like the others. However, in 2024, in the late Spring, I spied a plant I did not recognize. Upon an internet search, I discovered that they were Milkweed! I was delighted. Then, after all these years, social media posts started popping up about how invasive Milkweed is and not to plant it in a garden bed. What?!!! I've had the impression I should be doing that all these years! I have so much to learn.

Milkweed has a milky sap which is poisonous if ingested in a large amount and can also cause dermatitis if it comes in contact with the skin of sensitive folks. The milky sap is seen when the leaves are crushed. However, it is this sap that the monarch butterfly feeds on. They crazy thing is that the same poison accumulates in the body of the larval monarchs and is also retained by the monarch into the adult state of life making it disagreeable to predators wanting to have a butterfly lunch.

Quite contrary to its toxicity, the name 'Asclepias' was used by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 after the Greek god of medicine! It seems that some species have medicinal properties.

The flowers arrive in mid to late Summer. They have an attractive odor.

This plant is tall at 3 to 5 feet.

The plant spreads by seed or through the root system.

The Native Americans used the milkweed to create fiber for clothing. I have watched a lady in a newsletter subscription make fabric from milkweed and it is a fascinating process. Coma of the seeds was used to make life jackets during WWII.

Aphids are a problem on Milkweed, but to kill the aphids, you might kill the butterflies.

I decided not to keep the Milkweed. That is a bummer after all these years trying to grow it. I just could not have something attracting so many different kinds of bugs so close to my house. I think this is a plant that is best for those that have more land that can plant it away from the house, and not so much for city folks. It also spreads by runner and some say it is hard to control.

The various stages of the larvae (caterpillar) each called an instar. The aphids are yellow and the eggs are white on the plant leaves.

2024 photos