Plant Index


 
 
 
 

Asclepias tuberosa

Asclepias tuberosa L.

butterfly milkweed

Cultivar(s): Gay Butterflies
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed)
Image ID: 8785
Image by: Ware, Richard & Teresa
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: ASTU
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Asclepias tuberosa
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-01-04

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id Cultivar_name Action
240 Gay Butterflies View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: ASCLE
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Asclepias
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Milkweed
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 100 species, herbs, temperate and tropical, of North and Central America.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Woodson (1954)=Z; Turner (2009b)=Y; Farmer & Bell (1985)=X.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: APOCYN
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Apocynaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Dogbane Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: As here circumscribed including the Asclepiadaceae, a family of about 480 genera and about 4800 species, lianas, shrubs, herbs, and trees, widespread in tropical and temperate areas. There appears to be overwhelming evidence favoring the combination of the Asclepiadaceae into the Apocynaceae; see, for instance, Rosatti (1989), Sennblad & Bremer (1996), and many others.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Rosatti (1989); Liede (1997a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect to ascending perennial of woodland margins, roadsides and pastures.
STEMS: Stems often several from a single woody taproot, mostly unbranched, sometimes tinged reddish-purple, rough with stiff hairs.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, short-petiolate, narrowly oblong to lance-shaped, to 4 in. long, hairy.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in terminal and upper axillary compound umbels, orange or reddish-orange, about 1/2 in. long, consisting of 5 strongly reflexed corolla lobes and a central crown--composed of 5 2-parted appendages (“hood” and “horn”)--surrounding another complex structure of fused anthers and style.
FRUITS: Fruit an erect, narrowly spindle-shaped follicle containing tufted seeds.
COMMENTS: The sap of this milkweed is clear, not milky. A native over much of the eastern U.S., it is a popular garden plant. Nectar-rich flowers attract many pollinators.
HEIGHT: 1-3 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: May-August
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
x x x x

BLOOM COLOR: Orange
White Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Lavender Purple Violet Brown Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: United States & eastern Canada

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Butterfly milkweed is a common roadside wildflower in our area, and like other members of Asclepias genus, is a host to monarch butterfly caterpillars. The distinctive linear leaves and bright orange flowers make butterfly milkweed a standout in summer. Its modest size provides a splash of color without overwhelming small spaces. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, this plants is a “must have” to support Monarch butterflies and up to 12 species of lepidoptera! 1985 N.C. Wildflower of the Year.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE: 2
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id Project Collection date Collector Action
163 HORT 2007-04-05 Bryan View
231 HORT 2009-09-25 Kunz View
374 HORT 2010-11-16 Schubert View
970 HORT 1996-11-20 View
1099 HORT 2006-11-26 Wilbur-Brooks View
1128 HORT 2006-11-24 Kunz View
1329 HORT 2006-08-14 Bryan View
1428 HORT 2006-08-18 Bryan View
1475 HORT 2006-10-01 Bryan View
1500 HORT 2006-06-01 Bryan View
1721 HORT 2005-01-01 Bryan View
1726 HORT 2005-01-01 Bryan View
1829 HORT 2006-10-01 Bryan View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id acc_num acc_dt coll_id Action
162 2008-0001 2008-01-09 163 View
232 2011-0060 2011-04-05 231 View
370 2011-0243 2011-11-29 374 View
2156 1986-1964 View
2905 1987-0438 View
4618 1992-0774 View
5240 1995-0359 View
5454 1995-0577 View
5948 1995-1078 View
7516 2000-0276 2000-09-18 View
8169 2004-0180 2006-05-19 View
9024 1996-0232 0000-00-00 970 View
9365 2021-0028 2021-04-05 0 View
9663 2023-0111 2023-12-05 View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num acc_id loc_num pers_num inst_dt Action
324 162 142 Liloia 2008-01-09 View
325 162 159 Stern 2008-01-09 View
326 162 155 Stern 2008-01-09 View
329 162 81 Wenck 2008-01-16 View
485 232 31 NCBG staff 2011-03-29 View
486 232 32 NCBG staff 2011-03-29 View
487 232 41 NCBG staff 2011-03-29 View
488 232 19 Poythress 2011-05-03 View
489 232 29 Poythress 2011-04-07 View
491 232 44 NCBG staff 2011-05-10 View
493 232 41 Liloia 2011-07-29 View
494 232 44 Liloia 2011-08-02 View
495 232 23 Liloia 2011-08-02 View
898 370 43 NCBG staff 2011-11-02 View
899 370 34 NCBG staff 2011-11-01 View
3711 2156 54 NCBG staff 1986-12-23 View
3712 2156 55 NCBG staff 1986-12-23 View
3713 2156 59 NCBG staff 1967-12-31 View
4816 2905 8 NCBG staff 1978-10-01 View
6947 4618 200 NCBG staff 1993-03-01 View
7693 5240 203 NCBG staff 1992-01-01 View
7968 5454 204 NCBG staff 1993-01-01 View
8509 5948 2 NCBG staff 1992-01-01 View
9317 9024 142 Liloia 1967-12-31 View
10544 7516 146 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
10545 7516 142 NCBG staff 1986-12-31 View
10546 7516 27 NCBG staff 1967-12-31 View
10547 7516 115 NCBG staff 1967-12-31 View
10548 7516 6 NCBG staff 1986-12-22 View
10549 7516 8 NCBG staff 1996-03-28 View
10550 7516 81 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
10551 7516 81 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
10552 7516 83 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
10553 7516 139 NCBG staff 0000-00-00 View
11425 8169 81 NCBG staff 2003-07-30 View
12165 232 40 Mixon 2012-05-31 View
12575 9365 228 Wait 2020-06-25 View
12576 9365 229 Wait 2020-06-25 View
12978 0 198 MacIntyre 0000-00-00 View
13134 0 15 Liloia 0000-00-00 View
13135 0 16 Liloia 0000-00-00 View
13171 9365 91 Briggs 2022-05-31 View
13182 9365 37 Wait 2021-11-23 View
14003 9663 29 Mixon 0000-00-00 View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: ASTU
USDA Common Name: Butterfly Milkweed
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (ON, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
COMMON NAME:
SYNONYMY:
PHENOLOGY:
HABITAT:
COMMENTS:
RANGE MAP:

Key to Map Symbols
ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Apocynaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Dogbane Family)
SUMMARY: As here circumscribed including the Asclepiadaceae, a family of about 480 genera and about 4800 species, lianas, shrubs, herbs, and trees, widespread in tropical and temperate areas. There appears to be overwhelming evidence favoring the combination of the Asclepiadaceae into the Apocynaceae; see, for instance, Rosatti (1989), Sennblad & Bremer (1996), and many others.
REFERENCE: Rosatti (1989); Liede (1997a).
ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Asclepias L. (Milkweed)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 100 species, herbs, temperate and tropical, of North and Central America.
REFERENCE: Woodson (1954)=Z; Turner (2009b)=Y; Farmer & Bell (1985)=X.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Asclepias tuberosa in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Asclepias tuberosa in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Asclepias tuberosa in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Asclepias tuberosa in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Asclepias tuberosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Asclepias tuberosa

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 8785 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 10294 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 8785 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)

From the Image Gallery


Image ID: 2509

Image ID: 2510

Image ID: 2511

Image ID: 2514

Image ID: 2515

Image ID: 2516

Image ID: 2517

Image ID: 2528

Image ID: 2529

Image ID: 2530

Image ID: 7731

Image ID: 8417

Image ID: 10286

Image ID: 10287

Image ID: 10288

Image ID: 19810

Image ID: 19811

Image ID: 19836

Image ID: 19837

Image ID: 19838

Image ID: 19839

Image ID: 19840

Image ID: 19842

Image ID: 19843

Image ID: 19848

Image ID: 19849

Image ID: 19850

Image ID: 19851

Image ID: 19852

Image ID: 19853

Image ID: 19854

Image ID: 28572

Image ID: 28573

Image ID: 35860

Image ID: 35861

Image ID: 2507

Image ID: 2508

Image ID: 2512

Image ID: 2513

Image ID: 2518

Image ID: 2524

Image ID: 2525

Image ID: 2526

Image ID: 2527

Image ID: 4218

Image ID: 4227

Image ID: 7732

Image ID: 7733

Image ID: 7789

Image ID: 8418

Image ID: 8786

Image ID: 10284

Image ID: 10285

Image ID: 10289

Image ID: 10290

Image ID: 10291

Image ID: 10292

Image ID: 10293

Image ID: 10294

Image ID: 19306

Image ID: 19307

Image ID: 19639

Image ID: 19812

Image ID: 19813

Image ID: 19814

Image ID: 19815

Image ID: 19816

Image ID: 19817

Image ID: 19818

Image ID: 19819

Image ID: 19820

Image ID: 19821

Image ID: 19822

Image ID: 19823

Image ID: 19824

Image ID: 19825

Image ID: 19826

Image ID: 19827

Image ID: 19828

Image ID: 19829

Image ID: 19830

Image ID: 19831

Image ID: 19832

Image ID: 19833

Image ID: 19834

Image ID: 19835

Image ID: 19841

Image ID: 19844

Image ID: 19845

Image ID: 19846

Image ID: 19847

Image ID: 19855

Image ID: 19856

Image ID: 19857

Image ID: 19858

Image ID: 19859

Image ID: 28566

Image ID: 28567

Image ID: 28568

Image ID: 28569
106 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Go back