Higher classification Milkweed | Subfamily Asclepiadoideae Rank Species | |
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Similar Milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, Asclepias verticillata, Asclepias incarnata, Common milkweed | ||
Showy milkweed asclepias speciosa only 80 90 day seeds on www myseeds co
Asclepias speciosa is a milky-sapped perennial plant in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), known commonly as the showy milkweed.
Contents
Monarch caterpillar eating showy milkweed asclepias speciosa
Habitat and range
It is native to the western half of North America.
Growth pattern
This flowering plant is a hairy, erect perennial.
Leaves and stems
The large, pointed, elongate, simple, entire leaves are arranged oppositely on stalks.
Inflorescense and fruit
The eye-catching, hirsute, pale pink through pinkish-purple flowers occur in dense umbellate cymes. Their corollas are reflexed and the central flower parts, five hoods with prominent hooks, form a star shape. The fruit is a large, rough follicle filled with many flat oval seeds, each with silky hairs.
This species flowers from May through September.
Uses
Native Americans used fiber in the stems for rope, basketry, and nets. Some Native Americans believed the milky sap had medicinal qualities, however, most species of milkweed are toxic.
Butterflies
Asclepias speciosa is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant.
