Butterfly Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa L. - Milkweed family
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Size

Mature Height: Up to around 24 inches

Planting Distance: 29 inches

Plant Type: Forb/herb

Root Depth: 16 inches

Growth Form: Multiple Stem

Growth Rate: Slow

Features

Flower Color: Orange

Conspicuous Flowers: Yes

Bloom Time: Mid Summer

Seasonal Growth: Spring and Summer

Evergreen: No

Fall Colors: No

Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Intolerant

Clay Soil Tolerance: No

Sandy Soil Tolerance: Yes

Drought Tolerance: High

Flood Tolerance: None

Fire Tolerance: High

Salt Tolerance: None

Ecosystem Interactions

Pollinators: Native Bees; Bombus; Honey Bees; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Moths; Butterflies; Monarchs; Nesting and Structure (Bees); Larval Host (Monarch); Larval Host (Butterfly); Larval Host (Moth); Hummingbirds

Larval Species depending on Butterfly Milkweed: Danaus gilippus, Danaus gilippus berenice, Danaus plexippus, Danaus plexippus plexippus, Pygarctia eglenensis

Native Range

  • USA:  Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
  • MEX:  Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest
  • CAN:  Ontario, Québec
Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.