Asclepias tuberosa

butterflyweed, orange milkweed

Apocynaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1 to 2 ft tall by 0.5 to 1.5 ft wide

Life Span:

short-lived perennial

Flower Color:

orange

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden, meadow.

Considerations:

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Not wet but not extremely dry ---- to ---- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds

Attracts butterflies, bees, other insects.


Larval host to the monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ), queen butterfly ( Danaus gilippus ) and soldier butterfly, ( Danaus eresimus ).  Despite its name, this is not the preferred larval host of the monarch.

Reported to attract hummingbirds.

Native Habitats:

Sandhill, clayhill, scrub, ruderal