Try to make a place for it in your garden and you will not only enjoy the fragrance of the flowers but very likely will see monarch butterflies enjoying the plant as well. Once it is established it can spread from its rhizomatous root system. It is native to North America and reproduces primarily from seed.
#Common milkweed seedling full
The plants also have underground rhizomes that colonize to make a large stand of many plants.Ĭommon milkweed loves full sun and tolerates most soils, including heavy and wet sites. Common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca) is a perennial plant that can be found in a wide range of habitats including roadsides, fields, and gardens. The fluffy seeds float everywhere in the fall when the pods split open. This native plant is aggressive and can be weedy. Milkweeds have complex flowers when you examine the individual flowers that make up the pink flower balls you will be amazed at their form and detail. They also feed on the nectar of the flowers, along with other flower species. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves and the adult butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs. Place 3-5 seeds on top of the soil in each container or cell. If you take a handful, you should be able to squeeze it and only have a few drops fall out. The soil should be moist but not dripping wet. Most species are toxic to humans and many other species, primarily due to the presence of cardenolides. Leave a 1/2 (12 mm) gap to the top of the container. Common milkweed is a sturdy, upright, perennial plant with broad leaves, milky sap, and clusters of pink or lilac flowers. Flowers develop at the top of the stem in an umble pattern and are typically light pink.Įssential for the Monarch butterfly life cycle Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged.Leaves are oval and opposite and plants can grow up to 5 feet tall.
It commonly grows in sunny areas and ditches and is a primary part of the monarch butterfly’s diet. It may have weed in the name, but there are over 100 species of milkweed native to the United States and none of them are considered noxious weeds.
Its lovely fragrance often precedes seeing the flowers.Ĭommon milkweed is a native, perennial herbaceous plant in the milkweed family. The myths to bust Myth 1: Milkweed is an invasive weed Milkweed is a beneficial wildflower. Common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca) is a Minnesota native wildflower that blooms in midsummer.
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