Dig into Plants: Butterfly Milkweed

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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

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BASIC INFORMATION

ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

MAINTENANCE NOTES

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

LEAF, FLOWER & SEED ID

PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Basic Plant Information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Stephanie Brundage

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.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Caterpillars

Native Bees

Hummingbirds

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)

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.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Average Watering

Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Limestone,
or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Joseph A. Marcus

LEAF 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

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Entire/Smooth

Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – R. W. Smith

FLOWER 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

Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)


Color: Bright orange to yellow orange	Shape: Stellate (star-shaped)	Bloom Months: May – Sep

Wikimedia – SB Johnny

SEED DESCRIPTION

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


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: Fall - Winter

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

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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