Dig into Plants: Milkweed Comparison Chart

Use the chart below to find out which milkweed species you have in your outdoor classroom or to compare all three species with one another. The technical terms for the shapes are in purple.Click on these names below to view the species’ full profile.

Milkweed Comparison Chart


	Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)	Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)	Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Leaf Shape	Spear or lance-shaped Lanceolate (lan-see-o-late)	Spear or lance-shaped Lanceolate (lan-see-o-late)	Oval-shaped; widest part near base of leaf Ovate (o-vate)	Oval-shaped; twice as long as wide Elliptical (ee-lip-tuh-kl)
Leaf Margin	Smooth edge Entire (en-tire)	Smooth edge Entire (en-tire)	Smooth edge Entire (en-tire)
Leaf Arrangement	Each leaf is attached to the stem by itself (not paired) Alternate (awl-ter-nit)	Each leaf is attached to the stem by itself (not paired) Alternate (awl-ter-nit)	Each leaf is attached to the stem by itself (not paired) Alternate (awl-ter-nit)
Leaf Form
Flower Color	Bright orange to yellow orange	Light pink, light purple, magenta, or red	Pinkish-purple
Flower Shape
Plant Size	Between 1-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide	Between 3-5 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide	Between 2-3 feet tall and 9-12 inches wide
Bloom Months	May – September	June – October	June – August