Common milkweed

Asclepias syriaca (as-KLEE-pee-as seer-ee-AY-kah)

Family: Apocynaceae Native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Herbaceous (3-15 ft)Native

Common milkweed is a deciduous, native, herbaceous perennial wildflower in the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family. It grows in average, well-drained soils in full sun but can tolerate poor or dry soils. It propagates easily by seed or root cuttings and will naturalize in the garden, taking up quite a bit of space. It does not tolerate shade. In summer, five-petaled flowers bloom with up to 100 flowers per cluster and one to three clusters per stem. Fragrant flowers in colors of green, pink, white, and purple or lavender will last from June through August. Plants can grow 3 to 5 feet tall. Leaf arrangement is opposite and is oblong in shape with reddish veins. Common milkweed not only provides nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators but is also a larval host plant for monarch butterflies. Common milkweed can be used in naturalized areas, meadows, and butterfly, native, or pollinator gardens, but its wild and rangy form is not ideal for planting in borders. This is an excellent species for colonizing large areas to attract monarch butterflies. According to this article from IFAS Extension , common milkweed is also attractive to fireflies, so include common milkweed when gardening for fireflies. The bark, flower, seed pods, leaves, roots, and stems are poisonous, which can be a problem for cats, dogs, and horses. Quick ID Hints: Stems and leaves when crushed will produce a milky liquid and sap. Many hairtufted seeds are dispersed by the wind. Seed pods have a warty appearance. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems but can be weedy. Milkweed-feeding aphids are common, though can be left alone and will attract beneficial insects that will feed on them.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'asclepias-syriaca'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 64-attribute toolbox scrape.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Asclepias tuberosa Baptisia tinctoria Pycnanthemum incanum

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions

Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Poisonous; Wildflower
Life cycle: Perennial
USDA zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture: Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage: Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space: 12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region: Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size: Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 8 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate: Rapid
Maintenance: Low
Canopy layer: 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Form & Appearance

Habit / form: Erect
Foliage: Deciduous
Leaf color: Green
Leaf type: Simple
Leaf arrangement: Opposite
Leaf shape: Elliptical; Lanceolate; Oblong; Ovate
Leaf feel: Leathery
Leaf size: > 6 inches long
Hairs present: Yes
Leaf detail: 3- to 12-inch, thick light green opposite, oblong leaves; downy underside; reddish veins, rounded at both ends or abruptly pointed at the tip. Milky sap when crushed.
Flower color: Green; Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value: Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form: Umbel
Flower size: 1-3 inches
Flower detail: 2- to 3-in., domed umbel of dusty pink or lavender 5 petaled flowers with up to 100 flowers per cluster and 1-3 clusters per stem. They grow in the leaf axis; often drooping. The bloom season is long-lasting from June through August.
Bloom time: Summer
Fruit color: Gray/Silver
Fruit type: Capsule
Fruit value: Good Dried
Fruit size: > 3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail: Fruit a hairy and spiked gray follicle dry and inflated, 2"-4" long 1 2/3" wide erect, with a thick end and tapered tip. It has many hair-tufted seeds that are wind dispersed. Seed pod has a warty appearance and is used in dried flower arrangments. Displays from July through September
Stem color: Green
Stem detail: Have a milky liquid when crushed.

Wildlife & Ecology

Native status: Native
Origin: Central & E. Canada to Central & E. U.S.A., NC
Wildlife value: Flowers provide a nectar source for butterflies, bees and other pollinators and the plant is the larval host plant of the monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth. Also fed upon by the milkweed weevil and milkweed longhorn beetle.
Attracts: Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds; Specialized Bees
Host plant for: monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth
Play value: Attractive Flowers; Easy to Grow; Fragrance; Wildlife Food Source; Wildlife Larval Host

Food & Medicine

Harvest time: Fall; Summer
Fruit type: Capsule

Uses (ethnobotany)

Native Americans used the plant as a fiber source. During WWII the seeds were collected and the hairy coma or "floss" on the seeds was used in making life jackets. The coma is used today for pillows and blankets.

Landscape Use

Landscape location: Naturalized Area
Landscape theme: Butterfly Garden; Native Garden; Pollinator Garden
Garden tags: #nectar plant #erosion control #showy flowers #pink flowers #deer resistant #fragrant flowers #low maintenance #drought tolerant #poisonous #naturalizes #native garden #larval host plant #food source herbage #food source nectar #food source pollen #coastal UPL #food source fall #dry soils tolerant #butterfly friendly #FACU Piedmont Mountains #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #Audubon #Monarch butterfly #nectar plant late summer #nectar plant early summer #nectar plant mid-summer #dried arrangements #pollinator plant #wildlife friendly #meadow #NC native #NC Native Pollinator Plant #wildflower #weedy #fiber plant #fireflies #shade intolerant

Problems & Resistance

Insect problems: Milkweed Bug
Problems: Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses; Weedy
Resistant to: Deer; Drought; Dry Soil; Erosion; Poor Soil
Propagation: Root Cutting; Seed
Poison severity: Low
Poison parts: Bark; Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Roots; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms: Can cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, and confusion if eaten in quantity. Milky sap can cause contact dermatitis and eye irritation.
Toxic principle: Cardiac glycosides and resinoids
Contact dermatitis: Yes
Toxicity summary: Low severity poison; parts: Bark; Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Roots; Seeds; Stems; contact dermatitis

Planted at Hunnicutt

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