Butterfly Milkweed Other Common Names: Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger Flower Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa Native to Alabama: Yes Other common milkweed species: Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Whorled Milkweed
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Benny Simpson Click on image to enlarge it

 

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 1 - 2.5 feet high and 1 - 1.5 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center                      Stephanie Brundage       Click on image to enlarge it

 






















 

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Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:
Butterflies	Caterpillars	Native Bees	Hummingbirds
	Gray hairstreak, Monarch, Queen

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)		White Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)		Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)
Pinewoods Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata)		Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)		Eastern Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
Swamp Forest Milkweed/ Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis)		Tropical/Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)

 
  

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Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Plant can spread aggressively. Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase. Remove the dead parts of the plant after seed pods have split open. May take plant up to two years to flower. Plant will likely get aphids which can be left on the plant for ladybugs to eat. If aphids become a problem, refer to our Tips to Control Aphids on Milkweed document.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires average amount of water.
Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

 

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Habitat Requirements
This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day)		Average Watering	Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Limestone,                         or Moist Soil

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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
LEAF DESCRIPTION				Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Joseph A. Marcus Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (JPG)
Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Entire/Smooth	Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple
Description:
Up to 0.75 inches wide and 2 - 4 inches long, shiny green, pointed, smooth above and velvety beneath; stems are hairy, erect, and grow in clumps

      

FLOWER DESCRIPTION						Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center R. W. Smith Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)
Color: Bright orange to yellow orange			Shape: Stellate (star-shaped)		Bloom Months: May - Sep
Description:
Flat-topped clusters of flowers 2-5 inches across are at the top of the flowering stem; each flower has 5 petals bent downward, topped by a crown of 5 erect hoods, each one containing a short horn

  

SEED DESCRIPTION			Wikimedia SB Johnny Click on image to enlarge it
Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: spindle-shaped, grayish-green seed pods are 4-8 inches long, flat, oval, brown, and covered in short hairs; split open when ripe, releasing numerous seeds each having a tuft of long white hairs at the tip	Months in Seed: Late Summer - Early Fall
Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots Silky-haired seeds are dispersed by wind; underground rhizomes spread and create new clumps of plants

 
 

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Plant Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers. After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.
	General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

 

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

 

Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign: Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign: Editable Word Doc

QR Code (Links to this Webpage)

  

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INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

 

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Alabama Plant Atlas		Alabama Butterfly Atlas
Missouri Botanical Garden		University of Wisconsin-Madison Master Gardener Program

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