Few-flower Milkweed is a slim upright perennial milkweed native to the coastal plains of eastern USA including NC and is found in savannahs, wet pinelands, moist ditches and brackish and freshwater marshes. This plant prefers wet to moist low-nutrient soils in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. It will grow 3 to 5 feet tall and spread up to 1 foot. It is nearly inconspicuous in its native habitat until it sends up tall flower stems that produce small clusters of bright orange to red flowers during the summer. The leaves are long and very slender. Use in the bog garden and wet sites along ponds or streams or for naturalizing. It attracts many pollinators and is the larval host plant for the monarch and other butterflies. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant disease problems. Most common milkweed pests (aphids, milkweed beetles, Monarch larvae, and milkweed tussock moth larvae) are not problematic, but both large and small milkweed bugs can be very damaging to seed pods.
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.
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